A Dream of a Kiss
by Wings Of Silver Wishes
Summary: The war ended, he was back. Terrible nightmares fill his nights and golden eyes accompany his every step. Who are those people that had been dragging their shadows in the backstage of the centuries? He thought that he was losing his mind, but when the past closes in on him he is going to have to fight to keep his sanity and the ones he loves safe.
1. Dreams

**Hello! Well I shouldn't really be starting a new story right now considering I'm moving and I have to get a job (not to mention I have tons and tons to study) But, well, I couldn't help myself. **

**(About the rating; for now it's T and although I want to keep it like that, I'm open to suggestions…)**

**So here is the first chapter of ****"A Dream of a Kiss"****.**

_POOF_

"Yo!"

"KAKASHI-SENSEI YOU'RE LATE!" The once again late jonin scratched the back of his head.

"Well, I got lost-"

"LIAR!" He sighed as he admired his team, no matter how old they got, some things never change and nothing was clearer to him than the fact that he didn't want anything to change.

"Okay, let's focus on taijutsu today." He jumped down at the clearing and motioned for his students to get into a fighting stance.

"I'll take on teme!" The energetic blond shouted and the said male just smirked as he removed his sword from his belt.

"As if you could, dobe." Ever since the dark avenger had gotten off probation and had been allowed to train again this had become some sort of ritual for the two sworn rivals.

Watching from afar, the two remaining members of team seven would shake their heads, secretly both proud for the two young men.

'Sasuke-kun…' The pinkette zeroed in on him. He was a picture of perfection, she mused, just like he's always been. His hair was waving defiantly on his usual hair style, while his midnight orbs were focused solely on his sparring partner.

She smiled lightly remembering how he ended up in Konoha again.

After his meeting with his brother Sasuke decided to help defeat Madara, back then his hate for Konoha was still a raging fire in his dark heart, but he decided to let that fire burn for just a while longer, until he made sure his brother could rest in peace, knowing that the one who was to blame for his misery was dead.

He joined forces with Naruto and Kakashi, but Madara, or as they later found out, Obito was far too strong. They paid their victory with their blood and sweat and that's how the dark haired youth ended up with her.

He was in the brick of life and death when he was transported to the medic's tents and even the memory of his terrible injuries made her heart sink. She made it though, both he and her sensei escaped death. Soon the Kage's managed to seal Madara away once and for all.

After Sasuke was well enough to stand up he decided to run away once again. He stealthily escaped his guards. Naruto, being treated in the room next to his was the first to realize his friend's silent escape, so he did the most logical thing; he got out of his bed and run after him.

She almost broke down when she felt the two familiar chakra clash and she rushed towards their teammates, even Kakashi who until then had decided to drown himself in self-hate showed up to stop them from killing each other.

And that was the day they all saw hope bloom. Sasuke found a place to belong to, while Naruto found a family to call his own. Kakashi found a team to protect and as for herself, she found a reason to smile.

A year had passed since that day, the day the last Uchiha decided to return home. His probation ended just two weeks ago and she was thankful to see a glimmer settle in his eyes. He was still his usual stoic and proud self, but all traces of hate were slowly fading into a distant memory, even though it was a painful one.

Ever since he came back she refrained from showing him affection and he seemed more than content.

If you asked her about her feelings, she would say that it was just a childish and long-forgotten crush, but the truth is she loved him. She loved him more than she could ever love anything else, yet she had decided to keep that love locked deep inside her heart, because she knew he didn't feel that way, hell they were barely friends.

Teammates, she told herself.

Of course she would always greet him with a cheerful 'Sasuke-kun' and he would reply with one of his usual grunts. Sometimes they would even find themselves engaged in a conversation –with her doing most of the talking.

"I thought you knew better than spacing out." She ducked to barely avoid a kick aimed for her face.

"Sensei!" She barked, mainly because she was caught being unprofessional. She chose to get her point across using her chakra-coated fist.

Of course Kakashi isn't an elite jonin for nothing.

They went on for about four hours before the blond loudmouthed ninja announced it is time to eat ramen. Everyone else, in an attempt to protect their poor ears, followed the future Hokage.

They ate and headed for their separate homes.

…

"_He won't allow it."_

"_You can't do this to her."_

"_Please come to your senses, this is madness!"_

"_How dare you!"_

"_Kill her."_

"_Kill her."_

"_Kill her."_

He woke up with a start, his whole body was drenched in sweat and his head throbbed. He tried to breathe but he ended up panting. He fell back on his bed and his hands flew to his head. He stayed like that for a while before he could breathe again. Slowly he untangled himself from his navy sheets and made his way to the small kitchen of his apartment in unsteady feet.

He grabbed a glass of water and filled it, bringing it to his dry lips he slowly shipped the transparent liquid. It felt so refreshing, pouring inside his heated body. Under normal circumstances he would take a bath to get rid of the sweat that still clang to his body and night clothes_, _but he couldn't summon the strength to do so.

He never had such a violent nightmare ever since he came back, not to mention that this dream was completely different than those that haunted him when he had submerged himself in his darkness.

He risked a look at the clock, three fifty. With now heavy steps he took his numb body to his bed and as soon as he laid down, darkness consumed his consciousness.

…

"How is it going?" A man asked his companion, who sat cross-legged on the carpet holding a glass sphere to her chest.

"I found him." She said as if that simple phrase was enough to answer each of his questions.

**Yep, not that long, but hey it's the first chapter…**

**So, review if you want**

**Bye for now…**


	2. Everyday Life?

**So, back with chapter #2**

**Thanks to anyone who reviewed (if anyone did), but this chapter was uploaded along with chapter 1(complete with A/N) so that I could update it from my phone .I will thank you properly with a pm though ^.~**

**CHAPTER 2: Everyday life?**

The sun rose to the sky once again as a new day fell on Konoha. The rays of the newborn sun found him tangled in his navy sheets with his shirt thrown to the floor. He growled loudly, knowing that he couldn't evade the clutches of wakefulness any longer. A glance at his clock confirmed that it was already six and he tiredly stood to his feet.

Roaming his closet he pulled out the garments that completed his shinobi outfit; a fishnet shirt along with a sleeveless black shirt and dark pants that reached to his knee. He grabbed his fingerless gloves and he attached his weapon's pouch to his hip.

Just like any other day he didn't bother to unlock the door, he just slipped out from his window and to the neighbor's rooftop. He was still just a tad tired, but it was nothing he couldn't take, after all he'd been through worse, much worse.

Throwing a glance to his right he caught sight of another shinobi, who was probably assigned a mission.

He sighed as he headed to the usual training field. He guessed it was a habit he picked up recently, every morning he would train for a couple of hours on his own and then he would meditate until it was time to meet with his team.

Team, it was a word that left a bittersweet taste to his mouth. He'd tried to kill that bunch of weird people, yet somehow they managed to warm their way into his –dare he say it- heart.

An energetic, loudmouthed dobe, a perverted, always-late sensei and last but not least an annoying, pink haired medic. He smirked, whatever being was messing with his life sure had a weird sense of humor.

"Sasuke-kun!" He stopped dead in his tracks, of course she would sense him. He had felt her chakra, but he thought that if he just kept going she would let him carry on with his routine.

After a few seconds a pink blur jumped on the same roof and he was greeted with the sight of a half awake, half asleep rosette.

"Ohayo, Sasuke-kun." She greeted sleepily and he replied with a grunt and a small nod.

"Where are you going?" She asked noticing his attire, she, on the other hand, was wearing some clothes she wore when she was of duty.

"Training." He spoke kind of irked, sensing his mood the pinkette took a small step back.

"Okay Sasuke-kun, I'll meet you later." She hurriedly jumped back down; in all honesty she hated it when she felt like she was annoying him. She knew he valued their bond, but when they were alone she couldn't help but think her mere presence caused him a headache.

They took their separate roads and he ended up exactly where he wanted.

Taking out a kunai he curved an X to the tree in front of him. He flashed to the other end of the clearing and threw shuriken at the tree, as expected his poor opponent was hit with deadly accuracy.

Satisfied with his throwing skills he loaded a fireball.

'Katon: Gokakyuu no jutsu'

He sent the fireball straight for the tree, right before he flash stepped in front of it. He watched with narrowed eyes as the fire made its way to him and let electricity gather at his palm.

He run for the fireball and with the grace of an Uchiha, he tore through the flames. The heat caused small drops of sweat to form at his brow and he wiped them away with the back of his hand.

'_Sasuke-kun'_

His hands fell quickly to his sides as he got ready to repel an incoming attack. That voice, it was a whisper dulled by the wind, but he was a shinobi and his keen senses were something he was proud for.

'_Sasuke-kun'_

This time it felt as if the source of the whisper was right beside him, the skin in the crook of his neck tickled and he turned around with one swift move.

Nothing.

He extended his senses and searched for someone who took refuge in the lash greenery, yet no one seemed to be there.

He run a hand through his slightly damp hair, he must have been more tired than he thought. There was no way someone could just whisper next to his ear and not be seen, he was one of the fastest ninja in the whole shinobi world, second to –MAYBE- Naruto.

"Sasuke-kun?" He relaxed slightly at the familiar voice.

"Sakura?" He eyed her; it was still too early for her to be here.

"A-Ano, I brought you something to eat and some water…" He nodded and she visibly relaxed. She fished inside her bag and threw him a fresh tomato. He caught the fruit without any effort and took a bite as she made herself comfortable under the shade of a tree.

Deciding to take a break he followed her and plopped down next to her, of course he kept his distance. They didn't talk for a while, which was not surprising since one of them was Sasuke.

He gulped the water and she watched as a few drops escaped him and casketed down his neck, only to disappear as they reached the fabric of his shirt.

"Sasuke-kun your hand?" Her eyes focused on the small pink marks that had formed on his wrist and forearms, courtesy of his fire jutsu.

He didn't speak, just eyed his injured part. That was one of the things he was trying to improve with his chidori. The idea to use it as a defensive and an offensive move at the same time derived from chidori nagashi, but apparently it wasn't such a good idea…

He didn't realize the pinkette had scooted over to him until he felt her calming green chakra wash over him. He jerked, but she held his hand in place using a little of her superhuman strength.

"Here…" She let his hand go and he flexed his fingers absentmindedly. He stood up and motioned for her to follow, she did follow and together they went to their usual meeting point.

A loud voice boomed in the silence and it wasn't hard to tell to whom it belonged. A blond mop of unruly hair made its appearance and after some time –they didn't even bother counting anymore- a loud POOF signaled the arrival of the last part of the team.

…

"So, teme-" The blond paused to slurp down what he could shamelessly admit to be his fourth bowl of ramen.

"how have you been?" Said teme watched his best friend as he practically inhaled his food and couldn't help but wonder where on earth all that food went.

"Hn." Blond eyebrow twitched as the Uchiha slowly bit on his own ramen.

"YOU-"

"Shut up dick-less. It's not polite to talk with your mouth full." Another black haired shinobi spoke from his seat next to the blond.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING DICK-LESS YOU BASTARD?" The blond hit both of his palms on the table and the Uchiha resisted the urge to bang his head to any nearby wall.

He settled for glaring instead and since that was his best friend who burst in his apartment and dragged him all the way to Ichiraku's he put a little more effort in his death glare.

"Anyway, why didn't Ugly come along?"

"There was an emergency at the hospital, or something like that and since Kakashi-sensei was sent on a mission it's just the three of us…" Naruto pumped his fist in the air with his usual cheerfulness and although he was pissed he was also glad that despite his mistakes he was blessed with a best friend like that.

…

It burned.

It was all he could feel, burning flames licking his bones and nerves. He tried, but he couldn't free himself from the unpleasant sensation.

And all too sudden it was over, his eyes opened without his permission and he was greeted with what could only be the rays of the sun.

He stood up on his bed and the first thing he noticed was that his sheets weren't navy with a proud Uchiwa adorning the fabric. A small glimpse of the world around him told him that this wasn't his room either.

His ninja instincts screamed for him to jump to his feet and inspect his surroundings, but his body was unwilling to cooperate. A yawn escaped his lips and he cursed himself. A hand he could recognize as his own settled on his face and the slim fingers rubbed his sleep-burdened eyes.

He concentrated his everything into moving, yet somehow he had absolutely zero control over his body. His hand returned to his side on its own accord and his feet touched the cold ground.

He realized he was reduced to a simple spectator and that alone made him panic. He could feel the coldness of the floor against his bare feet and the chill of the morning breeze that spread goosebumps on his skin, but he had no control of his self, just like a puppet.

He struggled and even though it was unintentional he tried to let out a scream.

A banging noise.

A sharp pain on his back and his head.

His swirling red eyes connected with the familiar ceiling.

With each breath he felt as if his throat was torn and bleeding and his body trembled. He had no idea how long it took him to realize he had fallen from his bed after a nightmare.

Slowly, yet not surely he managed to sit with his back against the wood of his bed and tried to even his breathing. He could feel the painful beating of his heart resonate throughout his body.

He gritted his teeth and urged his collected self to take control. It felt like centuries before he was able to think clearly again.

The time was four twenty and although he didn't know when he woke up he was feeling dead tired. He headed to his kitchen and had a glass of water. Afterwards he took a quick shower and laid back down on his bed willing sleep to take him.

He fell asleep just as the sun begun to shed its light from behind the mountains.

**Yep, done!**

**Reviews are greatly appreciated (^.^)**

**Until next time**


	3. Your gentle touch

**Aloha!**

**Me happy! ^.^ While writing this I decided to check the responses I got for the first chapter. Thank you guys!**

**I even got a C2, I wasn't even aware of what it was before actually getting one, hehe ^.^'**

**Anyway, here is chapter 3! **

Sleep felt heavy against his tired body, but he submerged himself to its depths. Something warm touched his chest and he sighed at the comfort that simple touch brought. A small pressure awoke his sleeping awareness and he jumped of his bed seizing the unknown person's wrists in the process. Twisting his body he pinned the person to the floor making him leave a surprised yelp.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" He met her emerald eyes and forced his own blood red orbs to change back to their usual midnight black.

A small blush dusted her cheeks as her eyes moved to his chiseled chest that was pressing against her body. He wore nothing but a pair of boxers, she noted.

"What are you doing?" He asked harshly.

"A-Ano, you were l-late and I came looking for you…" She stuttered out, still shaken from the situation she found herself in. He raised an elegant eyebrow, silently urging her to continue.

"I knocked b-but you didn't answer so…" She trailed off, forcing her eyes to stay on his face. She was surprised at what she found there, his glare was harsher than usual and his eyes were surrounded by dark circles.

Without realizing it her hand flew to his face, her warm palm against his sweaty temple. His mouth opened to spit out words of objection, but they died on his lips the moment her cooling green chakra entered his system. He could feel her working on his killer headache and behind his heavy closed lids.

He involuntarily relaxed against her and she squeaked. His eyes flew open taking in their position; He was on top of her dressed in nothing but his underwear, their faces were close enough for their breaths to clash. The blush on her ivory cheeks elicited a burning sensation on the top of his ears.

He untangled himself from her and was on his feet in seconds. He looked away instead of offering her his hand and she took that as a sign of annoyance from his part. Dusting invisible dust she tried to suppress her embarrassment.

"I should go now, Naruto is waiting at Ichiraku's." She fled from his apartment with a speed she didn't know she possessed, leaving the Uchiha alone with his thoughts.

His eyes were still focused on his closet as he tried to silence his betraying thoughts that spoke of how right her body felt against him and how his own head wanted to lean just a bit so their lips could-.

His feet took him to the bathroom and he splashed his face with ice-cold water.

He needed sleep. Like, desperately…

He knew from past experiences that nightmares can be maddening. His current thoughts were a perfect example of just how sever the side effects could be.

The fact that he had actually missed most of his training occurred to him when he looked at his clock. He cursed loudly as he threw on some clothes and flashed out of his window. It was no use heading to the training grounds since the dope would hunt him down.

He dropped to the street like the proud shinobi he was and walked towards the place he knew he would found the loudmouthed ninja.

_Sasuke-kun_

His senses tickled and he wiped his head to his left. His dark eyes were immediately drawn to the figure of a woman. An unexplainable sensation washed over him and he shivered as his midnight orbs connected with wide golden ones.

Some invisible force pulled him to her but she was gone the moment his feet took the first step.

…

"Are you sure about this Arai-sama?" The petite woman ran her hands along the chains decorating her slender neck as she threw a glance at the man that spoke.

"Are you having second thoughts, Baku?" Her golden eyes traveled to the endless abyss that stretched in the night sky.

"No, I chose to follow you and I will do so."

"I'm glad." Her unique eyes glimmered in the darkness and her smile twisted into a bloodthirsty smirk.

"Soon enough I will have my revenge and you will be able to rest."

…

He spotted what he was looking for among the river of walking people. A blond mop of hair, accompanied by a pink one, walked towards him.

The blond gave him a blinding grin while the rosette averted her eyes. He nodded as a greeting.

"Teme you are late! Kakashi-sensei is rubbing off on you!" His dark eyebrow twitched violently, but the loudmouthed blond paid him no attention.

"Sakura-chan do you really have to go?" She nodded.

"Tsunade-sama has a new jutsu to teach me." Naruto pouted but he bid her farewell. She turned to the silent Uchiha waving awkwardly.

"So what's wrong Sasuke?" The tone of the usually goofy ninja immediately got said man's attention.

"Nothing." He spoke in his usual tone.

"Sakura-chan told me she was worried about you." He sighed, of course she would be worried.

"I just overslept, dobe, that's nothing to worry about." He lied through his teeth, but somehow that particular dobe could always tell when something was troubling him.

"We are a team, Sasuke, you can trust us you know?"

"I know." It was nothing more than a whisper, but the future Hokage heard him nonetheless. He smiled to himself.

**!**

The now familiar burning sensation consumed him once again, only this time he knew what to expect.

He found himself next to a river. The sun was setting, painting the sky in various shades of orange and golden. It was peaceful.

His keen eyes caught sight of a glistering blade being swung towards him. His hands moved automatically and the sound of metal clashing with metal filled his ears.

The sword on his right hand was the color of pure silver and the hilt was golden with various engraved designs. He put some distance between him and his opponent and had had any sort of control over his body he would have gasped.

The male in front of him had sand blond hair and glittering brown eyes. His skin was dark brown, probably due to the sun. He felt a tug at the corner of his lips, an unmistakable sign of his smirk.

The man in front of him grinned in a way that only one person could.

'_Naruto?'_

There was no mistaking it.

His eyes might not be that same vibrant blue, but inside them burned the same flame that lit his way back home.

"Distracted?" He mocked.

Definitely the dobe.

He felt his knees bend and he made his way to his opponent with his hands holding his sword. He twisted his arms and let the blade swing towards the blond.

He ducked just in time to avoid what could be a fatal blow.

"OI, ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" He gave another smirk.

"Distracted?" It was his turn to mock.

"YOU…" And just like Naruto would, he let out a battle cry as he attacked head on. He managed to block the incoming attacks despite being pushed back. A rather violent swing from his opponent's part resulted in a small cut across his cheek. He flinched as he wiped the blood from the wound.

Using the ground to push himself, he pushed 'Naruto's sword away from him and delivered a strong kick to his chest.

The blond fell back and he pointed a slender sword to his tanned neck. Looking up with a frown he huffed out what sounded like a 'you won'.

Sasuke watched as his own hand extended towards the blond. He took it and stood up.

"Come on your highness, you wouldn't want to keep them waiting, would you?"

Just like every other night he shot up on his bed.

'Another dream?' He questioned himself, even though the answer was clear to him. He put his hand on his chest, over his raging heartbeat.

With his other hand he wiped away the sweat that had accumulated to his brow. After taking a few minutes to gather himself he made his way to his bathroom with unsteady steps. The ice cold water hitting his face made him sigh in appreciation. He looked up to his reflection on the mirror and he stumbled back in shock.

He raised his hand to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him and he felt it. A small cut to his right cheek.

**Aaaaaaaand it's done! Hope you liked it!**

**Bye for now **

**:***


	4. Happy Birthday

**Hey! ^.^**

**So since I couldn't do it in the other chapters I would like to thank all those who reviewed.**

**Strawberrys000**** and ****Wealse-chan **** for the first chapter**

**Sakura 8D**** and ****Wealse-chan ****for the second chapter**

**Sakura 8D ****for the third chapter**

**Now on with the chapter**

His feet moved mechanically and his head felt light, as if his thoughts abandoned him to his predicament. He had no idea where he was going, but his target was clear as day, all he wanted was an answer, an explanation as to what was happening. The cut on his cheek was a vibrant reminder of the cause of his current situation.

His mind wandered back to the events of last night, trying to pull out a hidden meaning. But as usual nothing came. Could it be a jutsu? A weird Kekai genkai? No, somehow his gut told him it was far more dangerous than either of the above.

He saw himself get wounded and out of nowhere a cut appears and turns his already unstable world upside down. Moreover, ever since he stood up he has been feeling a familiar, relaxing sort of pain run through his muscles. It was the same reassuring pain he had been casting about in all of his life, the sweet pain that engulfed his senses after an exhausting day of training. Yet, yesterday he didn't train at all.

What was going on?

He looked up, taking in the form of the library. The tall building was a good point to start his search, now, if only he knew what he was searching for…

Entering the building he was met with the lovely (please note the sarcasm) sight of the young woman's eyes hungrily stroking every inch of his muscular body. Fortunately after years of gathering such experiences the young Uchiha managed to make it to the desired section without harming the poor woman.

His pale fingers run along the 'D' section only to land a few seconds later on a book with the kanji 'Dream' written in slender Japanese calligraphy on his spine. He pulled out the book and sat on the nearest table.

'_Dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep.'_

As if he didn't know that. He growled silently as he skipped through the pages.

'_Dreams as excitations of long-term memory: Theories suggests that dreams are ever-present excitations of long term memory even during waking life-'_

Nope, his dreams had definitely nothing to do with memories. Feeling out of his element he turned to the last page where the index was conveniently stationed.

'Psychological theories of dreaming.'

'Dream content.'

'Associated phenomena.' He turned the pages until he landed to the desired topic.

'_Lucid dreaming: _ _Lucid dreaming is the conscious perception of one's state while dreaming. In this state the dreamer may often (but not always) have some degree of control over their own actions within the dream or even the characters and the environment of the dream. Dream control has been reported to improve with practiced deliberate lucid dreaming, but the ability to control aspects of the dream is not necessary for a dream to qualify as "lucid" — a lucid dream is any dream during which the dreamer knows they are dreaming.'_

'Bullshit' With an angry sigh he put the book back in its original place. Walking out of the huge building he cursed himself for actually believing he could find something useful in a public library. Going through his possible options he came to the conclusion that he would just have to wait and see how it goes.

The idea of asking anyone for help was dismissed before it even registered on his mental list.

A flash of pink brought him back to earth.

"Sasuke-kun!" He rubbed his temples in a feeble attempt to prevent an incoming headache. A glimpse at her blinding grin and her glittering emerald eyes almost made him groan. Was it too much to ask for some peace and quiet?

Not that he minded Sakura, she was his teammate and even though he would never admit it out loud, she was a dear friend. But right now all he wanted to do was sleep, or at least be left alone with his own thoughts.

She ran up to him with something more than her usual cheerfulness.

"Where are you going?" She questioned with excitement. She was obviously back to her old self, to him, it felt better that way. After all, being awkward would hinder their teamwork.

Back to the question at hand, what answer could he possibly give? He had no idea where he was going. All that he had up to this point were questions and a recently acquired irritation. So what is an Uchiha to do when they are facing lack of words?

"Hn." The pinkette eyed him with big, questioning eyes, but soon enough the grin she wore moments ago came back full force.

"If you have nothing to do you can come to my house."

"Kakashi-sensei and Naruto are going to be there too!" She added quickly, hopefully before the Uchiha could misinterpret her invitation. Currently not in the mood to be around his best friend's loud shrieks the Uchiha got ready to reject the offer.

The sight of her big pleading eyes made the 'no' that climbed up his throat die at the edge of his lips. Her natural pout made something bloom inside his chest, but he was not sure what he should name it. And last but not least the soft 'please' that left her equally soft lips made him unable to do anything but accept her invitation.

God, what was wrong with him?

And that's how the last and mighty Uchiha found himself following a giddy pinkette all the way to her apartment.

After successfully fishing the key out of her pocket she opened the door. A loud whistle later an orange blur scooped her up and spun her around.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAKURA-CHAAAAAAAAAAN!" Taken aback the Uchiha threw a quick glance around the room, their sensei and his replacement were there as well.

Toda was her birthday? He had no idea…

"Come on Sakura-chan! I cooked!" The pinkette giggled and complained about another day of ramen.

He followed the rest of his team in the living room where the loudmouthed blond served what he thought was a delicious diner. The atmosphere could only be described as colorful, neon orange shrieks, pale pink giggles, grey smiles, blue smirks and sunny chuckles mixed together and twirled to form a masterpiece of modern art.

Kakashi brought a delicious looking cake with hot and baby pink details on top. Her emerald eyes widen in surprise, obviously not expecting that move.

"You only turn eighteen once." The older man reasoned as he lit the candles.

"Make a wish, Ugly." She pinched his arm and the dark haired artist winched. The Uchiha watched as she made herself comfortable next to him and took in a slow deep breath. Her eyes wandered over every single person in the room and with a small smile she released the held breath.

"NOW IT'S TIME FOR THE PRESENTS! Mine first!" The loudmouthed future Hokage shoved an orange wrapped box in her arms. Only now did it occur to him that he was probably the only one who didn't bring her a present, granted he had no idea today was her birthday, but that was his fault as well.

With a thank you she began unfolding the wrapping, only to come face to face with what appeared to be a photo album. She opened the leather black book that was labeled 'Team Seven' and gasped. Tears threatened to escape her eyes at the sight of the photos inside.

They were of her and her team. Most of them appeared to be while they were training, even Sasuke was there!

That particular picture drew her eyes like a magnet. The Uchiha and she were engaged in a fierce taijutsu-only fight, his one arm was busy holding one of her own while his other arm prevented her knee from connecting with his upper ribs. Their eyes were locked and overflowing with confidence and challenge.

"I had some bunshins take them a while ago." Someone cleared their throat.

"Kakashi-sensei helped too." He added as an afterthought.

"N-Naruto…" She lunged for his throat, clinging to his body in a bone breaking hug.

"Thank you." She sniffed silently. Sasuke's eyes fell on the same photo she had been looking seconds ago and he couldn't help but admire the raw intensity trapped in such a small piece of paper. His traitorous mind also noted the closeness of their bodies and of course his hand on her tigh.

Yeap, something was definitely wrong with him today.

Meanwhile, Sakura had decided to let go of her blond teammate and was now opening a baby blue package decorated with rose colored ribbon and a white flower expertly twisted in the bow.

She held up the contents. It was a dark bag that she could fasten behind her back. Pink details and petals decorated the black fabric and inside she found all the medical supplies she would need for a mission.

"Thank you Kakashi-sensei!" She hugged him lightly.

"And let's not forget, now that you are officially an adult…" He trailed off as he put an orange book in her outstretched hands. She eyed the book and a vein popped in her forehead. Nevertheless she let it slide and set the book aside.

Sai eyed her with a weird expression on his face as he hesitantly passed her his own present.

Was he nervous?

She unwrapped it with curiosity seeping out of her every pore. Inside she found a painting of team seven. Kakashi-sensei sat upon a branch with his usual orange book in hand, Naruto was playing cards with a bunshin over a cup of ramen. She had to pause her observation to giggle.

She was laughing with her head on Sasuke's knees, while he was looking at her and his left hand was around another Naruto's neck, chocking him.

Last but not least Sai was stationed in the far corner of the paper with his brush in hand, smiling. With an 'aww' she hugged him and thanked him.

Sasuke opened his mouth unsure of what to say but she silenced him with a wave of her hand.

"You don't have to give me anything Sasuke, being here with my team today was my only wish and you helped making it true." It was an honest statement, he could tell she meant every word of it. Yet somehow that fact annoyed him to no end, why was she always so selfless when it came to him?

Why was she always so kind to him when he acted the way he did towards her?

"Happy birthday." He tried to offer her a smile, but after all those years sunken in despair, smiling was something forgotten.

She welcomed his failed attempt like the earth welcomed the rain.

**Ooooooooo**

He was back at his place after the whole thing ended and Sakura was dragged away by a suspicious looking Ino.

Lying comfortably in his couch he read the opened scroll on his hands. He made sure to memorize each fire jutsu, all Uchiha's were proud of their fire techniques.

'_Sasuke-kun' _The scroll landed on his chest as his hands went numb.

'_You can't escape me Sasuke-kun…' _The voice held an unmistakable taunting tone.

'_Now sleep…' _And his mind went blank, as if with a turning of a switch.

**Ooooooooo**

He winched as he received a punch on his shoulder. He glared at his companion who, in turn, grinned in an apologetic manner.

"You zoned out bastard." He explained taking the lead through what he could only guess was a garden.

The sandy blond took off, running towards a woman with long red hair. He could only see her back, covered with her cascading red locks.

"Oi Saya! His highness is going to bleed to death! You've got to help him!" He heard the Naruto look alike shout as he frantically waved his hands up and down.

"Okay, Okay!" She dismissed him with an angry sigh and the idiot winked at him before disappearing somewhere out there.

His body moved closer to the unknown woman and he came to tower behind her, casting his shadow over her petite body.

"What's so important it can't wait?" His baritone voice sounded close to her ear and Sasuke couldn't help but wonder if he was starting to lose his mind.

She jumped at his close proximity and whipped around to face him. Had he had any control over his body, he would have gasped.

The eyes that so casually bored into his were the color of pure emeralds, sparkling with a unique innocence that never failed to pull him into an unbreakable trance.

A tiny mocking smirk made its appearance on her familiar lips.

"Is that what you want me to treat?" She asked nodding to his cheek. He gave her a signature 'Hn' and her hands flew to his face. Her warm skin made contact with his cold face and the reaction send small electrical currents throughout his body.

She whispered something he couldn't understand and her hand begun glowing, not with the faint green he was used to, but with a pure white light.

His eyes fell from her face to-

Was he really…?

Yes, he admitted, he was staring at her barely covered and also quite tempting chest. Well, he had no choice over the matter, that's his excuse.

Not that he was complaining, but oh well you get it anyway…

Her chest was covered by a thin white fabric that was tied right in the middle. A curtain of the same fabric fell from the knot over her bare stomach only to disappear behind her golden belt. The skirt that covered her lower section sent his blood right at his face.

Her cough brought his eyes back to her face before they could devour the sight of her exposed legs.

It was only now that he realized he had leaned more into her, as a result their faces and most importantly their lips, were a breath away.

"I-I should head back." She mumbled, blushing bright scarlet. She turned back and made to run away from him.

"Wait!" He called and extended his hand.

He opened his eyes just in time to witness the wooden floor rush up to him. He growled out at the pain that wacked his whole body. Every little fiber of his being burned to the point he thought he was turning to ashes.

His eyes felt dry and throbbed like the times when he overused his sharingan. His stomach clenched painfully and he swallowed down the bile that had settled at the back of his throat. He took deep breaths and waited for the aftereffects to subside, like he knew they would, eventually.

The pain went away but he was left with a small tremolo.

"Shit…" He said out loud as he eyed his clock. Midnight had already fallen on the night sky and he had somewhere to be.

Summoning the needed strength from his Uchiha pride he flew out of the window and his form became one with the shadows of the night.

**Ooooooooo**

The sound of something hitting against the glass of her window brought her out of a relatively pleasant slumber. Dragging her sleepy self to her window she opened it. The pebble that landed on her shoulder woke her up.

"Who's there?" She questioned taking a fighting stance. A dark figure landed in front of her.

"Sasuke-kun?" Indeed, there stood the brave Uchiha with his hands deeply shoved in his pockets.

He eyed her from top to toe with a raised eyebrow and she blushed bright red.

"What? They are comfy to sleep in!" She glared at him to hide her embarrassment. The Uchiha was torn between chuckling at her weird choice of night clothes and gape at her.

His female teammate was dressed in a baggy shirt that barely touched her tights and boxer shorts. Yeap, boxers. With hearts.

Now if they were his boxers he would-

Do nothing at all because an Uchiha wouldn't care, he reminded himself.

"Anyway what are you doing here?" Burying his thoughts somewhere they could be forgotten and pulled out the reason of his late visit.

"What's that?" The pinkette asked eyeing the small object that was violently shoved in her hand. It was no use, he was already gone…

After observing it she came to the conclusion that she would have to unwrap it. Doing just that led her to holding probably the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen.

Hanging from the silver chain were two hearts that entwined. The front heart was silver and bared small pink diamonds and the second heart was pure silver, creating a nice balance. She watched in awe as it sparkled against her pale hand and a smile made her face glow.

**The longest one so far ^.^ Hope you liked it**

**Reviews are appreciated**

**Bye Bye (^-^)/**


	5. Golden Eyes

**Hey!**

**This was supposed to be up yesterday, but internet wasn't on my side so…**

**Thank you all so much! Last chapter got many positive responses and I'm so indescribably happy that you liked it *GRIN***

**A big shiny 'thank you' to:**

**Sakura 8D**

**LostForever06**

**cat 102**

**LadyAizenUchiha**

**Wealse-chan**

**So here goes, this one is slightly darker though.**

The scenery was one of the things that always surprised him whenever he found himself in his current situation. This time he was inside a huge room. The soft light purred from the windows onto the stone walls and filled the room with its gentle warmth. The red fluffy carpet was spread on the floor and a wooden long table stood proudly in the middle. He found himself sitting in one of the chairs surrounding that table and in front of him he could see what could be described as a loyalty-worthy breakfast. Tons of exotic looking fruit were carefully laid in silver plates, he could also tell that there was honey, milk and bread.

His eyes were focused on his plate but all of his other senses, or at least those he still had control over, were focused on analyzing his surroundings. Even unconsciously he searched for a sign of his best friend, maybe even of his pink haired teammate.

The feeling of familiarity that washed over him every time they were around him was calming him to the core. Even though he felt like a prisoner of his own mind, he was thankful for having them by his side. Granted, the people he met here, in the deepest and darkest corners of his subconscious were not his teammates. But to him they felt like the last intact ounce of sanity and that's why he grasped that tiny piece of comfort with all of his might.

But now he was alone and weak, like a puppet worshiping the strings that held it standing simply because that's the only form of freedom it knows.

"You seem distracted, what's on your mind otouto?" It felt as if the blood in his veins stopped flowing, his whole being gave away the feeling of being submerged into the deepest recesses of the sea. The world itself lost every meaning and froze, as if engulfed by an unforgiving spell.

He tried to break the spell, but the words to do so were lost along with the thumping of his heart.

And then suddenly it all came undone at the echo of a single name.

'Itachi'

He roared inside his flesh. He begged for one look, a single look in those deep onyx abysses that mirrored his own. One look to save himself from madness.

He was thrashing around in a vain attempt to break loose. His muscles burned but he didn't care, his head pounded but he still didn't care. All it mattered right now was to somehow contact his brother. Was it a ghost of a memory? Or maybe a shadow of his fragile mind, looming above him?

He couldn't tell.

His body didn't move, his eyes were still glued to the silver plate.

"Aniki-" He screamed and willed every single cell of his body to move, he pounded on invisible walls even if his fists ended up bleeding.

But it was no use, because after all a puppet can only live in borrowed freedom.

_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARG_

"_Hold him down!" _The strings made cuts on his body and they engraved the sign of a golden cage on his skin.

"_Naruto we need more clones!" _The smiling cuts bled and the thick hot drops of scarlet liquid bared his desperation for the world to see.

"_Sakura wait-"_ His eyes slowly opened to a gentle green light. His whole body felt heavy as if weighted down by an invisible force.

Green teary eyes connected with his own, blood red ones. With vivid transparency a drop of salty liquid landed on his face.

It felt like ice against his burning skin. It awakened his senses and stirred a sense of tranquility as it colored a sparkling trail down his cheek.

A single red eye with three black comas took the place of the two glittering emeralds in his line of vision and immediately he felt himself falling. He was sinking in an endless black pit. He tried to fight back, but in his weakened state it was immediately deemed a lost battled.

"It's okay…" A soft voice whispered and for some reason he didn't even think of doubting it. He let himself be enveloped by darkness.

**Oooooooo**

The next time he opened his eyes he found himself in an unknown room. His nose tickled at the unmistakable smell of ramen. He rose to his feet and took a look around. He growled as realization hit him full force. Great, he thought, that was definitely the dobe's room. The starry sky revealed the fact that he had slept through the day.

Now it all came back to him, he wasn't sleeping; he was thrown into unconsciousness by the sharingan, which automatically meant his beloved sensei had something to do with it.

He moved to where he knew the living was and entered the brightly lit room. To his surprise, or maybe not, he found the members of team seven sitting around the square table. Naruto was sitting with his back facing him, so he couldn't see his expression. Kakashi on the other hand looked like his usual, carefree self, of course with his orange book tightly held on his left hand. The last member of the team looked quite troubled with her eyes glued on her fingers that lay intertwined on the table.

His glare settled on the older male who was seemingly too busy being an old pervert.

"Glad to see you're back to your old self." He grinned behind his black mask as the other two people inside the room turned their attention to the last Uchiha.

"Why am I here?" He questioned.

"We found you in your apartment screaming and thrashing around. So we knocked you out and brought you here." The jonin explained now turning a tad more serious.

Sasuke remained silent, he didn't want to explain anything, at least not while he himself didn't understand what was happening.

"Was that about your brother?" Leave it to Naruto to be straightforward, the blond idiot wasn't one to beat around the bush and maybe that's why if the Uchiha was to talk to anyone, it would be him. There was this invisible connection between them that he couldn't exactly describe in any other word than understanding.

"Hn." What use would it be to give any kind of answer when they knew the right one anyway?

"How long has this been going on?" It was a woman's voice that asked for attention this time. Every head in the room turned towards the rosette.

"A week." He answered dryly, not in the mood for any more talking.

"Why didn't you tell us?" The girl shot back, worry getting the better or her.

"It is none of your business." He glared at her and she glared back.

"Come on Sakura-chan if it was something that serious I think Sasuke would have told us." The silver haired man tried to ease the tension that suddenly fell on the room and like a heavy blanket and weighed down on them.

The girl sighed but was not convinced. The state they found him in was frightening to say the least, not to mention that she had a really bad feeling.

"Anyway we all need to rest, we have a mission tomorrow." The jonin stood up and urged the rest of the members of team seven to mimic his actions.

**Oooooooo**

Sakura was walking in the dark street deep in thought. The full moon, engaged in a game of hide and seek with the dark clouds, cast shadows over the scenery. The whispers of the soft wind were loud against the silence.

A pair of golden eyes sparkled and their owner emerged from the shadows with one goal on her mind.

The pinkette felt another presence looming above her and her guard immediately went up. She stopped and listened for anything out of place, while her emerald eyes scanned her surroundings.

A small giggle made the hair at the back on her neck stand up.

"Who's there?" Her right hand fingered her weapon holder.

"No need to be so tense." A taunting voice answered back and a woman emerged seemingly out of nowhere.

The first thing the rosette noticed about her were her golden, glowing eyes. Her brown hair was long reaching just an inch past her knees. Her attire was another of the things that stood out, a silver circle in her chest held the white silky fabric that formed her blouse, if it could be called that. She wore high black boots and the outfit was completed with short revealing shorts.

"Who are you?"

"None of your business, dear." A wicked grin grazed the unknown woman's lips.

"There is one thing I would like to tell you though; take care of your Sasuke-kun." The words were uttered in a sickly sweet tone that made the pinkette shiver.

"What do you mean? What business do you have with Sasuke?" Her senses were on high alert and she had to fight to keep a shudder out of her voice.

"You will find out soon enough, until then, let's just say your precious Sasuke-kun is going to have some really bad dreams." A gasp escaped her lips, how could this woman know?

"What do you know about them?" She growled tightening her hold on the kunais.

"Nothing I'm willing to share with the likes of you." The other woman smirked, enjoying the emotions she could awake in the petite shinobi.

Sakura disappeared from her view, quickly getting behind her and with a swing of her hand she sent a handful of kunais towards the unknown female. What happened next surprised her.

The kunais she threw stopped in midair; they floated as if frozen in time some inches away from their target.

Fog gathered around her feet and a cold chill run through her entire body. The weird woman turned around and her long brown hair flew behind her. She slowly raised her hand and the medic felt her feet leaving the ground. Invisible snakes curled around her neck, making it painful to breath.

"Don't worry, even though I want to watch you die, I want to watch you suffer even more. So, I think I'll take my leave now." A flick of a slender wrist and the pinkette was thrown against the wall.

She watched the woman disappear in the chilling fog. Unable to move she let the sweet darkness take over her mind as she succumbed to unconsciousness.

**o.0 Things are getting interesting, ne?**

**I enjoyed writing that chapter, I hope one can tell ^.^**

**Anyway, I uploaded a drawing of the 'unknown woman' on devianart, I will post the link here and on my profile. It was the first time I did anything like this so I may have messed up, but I will make it work… eventually**

**Here is the link: madeofsugar483 dot deviantart dot com /art/A-dream-of-a-Kiss-1-328784539**

**If you face any trouble let me know…**

**Bye bye ^.^**


	6. Shin and Saya

**So here I am again!**

**Well I want to say a big thank you to:**

**Wealse-chan**

**Aelia Mikoto Uchiha**

**Midnight Angel Sakura**

**Special thanks to Aelia Mikoto Uchiha for reviewing all five chapters! **

**I would also like to point out two things. First of all if you want to see what Arai (a.k.a. the mysterious woman from the previous chapter) looks like, there is a link in my profile. And Secondly, Sasuke may be a little, ummm… not himself in this chapter… **

**Enough with my blabbing ^.^' **

**Enjoy**

The sun once again washed over the world, offering his warmth to the humble creatures that were unable to reach him. It was another typical day for Konoha, one more day to heal and to bloom, to shake off the ashes the great war left them with. The civilians welcomed the new day as they filled the streets. it was a sight to behold, the hope reflecting on the young children's eyes and the kind smiles everyone so selflessly offered.

An orange beam of energy walked through the busy streets, happily greeting his fellow villagers. It was the one they named their hero, Uzumaki Naruto, the man that faced destiny and made it cower under his burning will.

The blond reached the gates where he spotted a dark figure leaning against Konoha's walls. With a smile that glowed he approached his friend, like another sun illuminating the night sky.

"Yo, teme!" He greeted with his hand in the same level as his head. He took another look around and scratched the back of his head.

"Hn."

"Ano, where is Sakura-chan?" He turned around and searched the stream of walking people for the familiar pink touch.

"How should I know?" Mornings weren't everyone's favorite part of the day and the Uchiha prodigy was one of them. He had always disliked having to wake up early and that habit of his tended to become ten times worse when he wasn't sleeping well.

Naruto decided to keep silent, which was very hard, mind you. So the two of them waited in a torturing, for a certain blond, silence, until their sensei decided to show up. Surprisingly, their female teammate was still absent.

"Yo." The silver haired Jonin waved at them in his usual tone. His gaze turned questioning when no sound of complain reached his ears.

'Was I too early?' He wondered as he stared at the usually loudmouthed shinobi.

Naruto's eyes were once again averted to the busy street, searching for the tiniest sight of pink. Even the stoic Uchiha threw a lazy glance at the mass of people, after all it wasn't every day the famous copy nin came earlier than any of them.

The Jonin, disappointed that his entrance lacked its usual loud background, dropped to the floor in front of his students.

"What's wrong?" He questioned only to have Naruto wave his hands dramatically in the air.

"Sakura-chan isn't here yet!" At his words the Jonin stiffened and a serious look settled on his face.

"The mission was canceled, Sakura was attacked last night." Two pairs of eyes locked on his frame, observing his every move.

"Is she okay? Who was the bastard that attacked?" Sky blue eyes lit with a fire that could engulf the whole world.

"She is at the hospital right now, nothing serious though. As for her attacker, we have no idea yet." The blond immediately turned around with one goal in mind; get to Sakura.

"Naruto wait. You can't talk to her right-" Why did he even bother? Once the nine tail's jinchuriki had set his mind on something, even fate itself couldn't stop him.

The raven haired man next to him walked past him, following the path his teammate took.

Kakashi shrugged as he completed the series of handseals that would land him with mathematical accuracy to the roof of Konoha's hospital.

**Oooooooooooooo**

"Sakura how are you feeling?" The Fifth closed the door behind her before examining her pupil from top to toe with her expert eyes.

"I'm fine Shisou. It was nothing." The Hokage nodded and took a sit next to the pinkette.

"Okay, tell me what happened." Orders are orders and the pink haired chuunin had no choice but to comply. She told the lady Hokage everything that happened, carefully leaving out anything that had to do with Sasuke and his weird dreams.

What attracted the older woman's attention were the attacker's abilities. According to the rosette, that woman possessed some sort of telekinetic technique. These kinds of techniques were rare and the user had to be at least a Jonin. How on earth did no one notice an enemy ninja roaming around Konoha?

"Okay Sakura, for now I want you to be extra careful until we find her. Have one of your teammates always walk you home, a guard will watch over you at night. If you notice anything out of place or if it happens to remember something, notify me at once. Am I clear?"

"Hai Shisou." Sakura nodded her head and her mentor gave a small smile.

"Okay now get out, I'm not sure for how long we can restrain the idiot." The pinkette giggled, knowing to who the brave Hokage was referring to.

She gathered her stuff and exited her room, only to come face to face with a hyperactive blond, a goofy sensei and a scowling Uchiha, all looking at her expecting answers. She studied the raven haired man, torn between revealing the whole truth and giving them the same story she did to her mentor.

She knew Sasuke would be angry if she just blurted everything out, since it was mostly about him, but could she really keep such a secret from her team?

She made up her mind, she would talk to Sasuke first and then to her team. She promised herself that even if Sasuke didn't want them to know she would still tell. Last time she kept silent Sasuke ended up following Orochimaru.

She took a deep breath and urged herself to act naturally. Naruto was probably the only one who believed her since the other two men eyed her strangely, but she knew they wouldn't question her today, something that gave her enough time to talk to the silent shinobi.

If only it were that easy…

The rest of the day was spent with her team, going over some strategies that required teamwork and synch. Not once did she manage to be left alone with the Uchiha. Even at the evening when they visited the market, the raven haired teen chose to head for the training fields.

Now she was home taking a long soothing bath. She wanted to go find him, but the feeling of her guard's chakra held her in place. She sighed as she made up her mind, she would meet him tomorrow first thing in the morning.

**Oooooooooooooo**

He was tired, but he kept walking. After their sensei felt it was the ideal day to visit the marked he declined in his normal, not that polite, tone. He wanted to train and he made sure they got that through their heads.

He did train, very hard actually. He wanted to worn himself out to the point of having difficulty moving and when he set a goal he always achieved it.

That's why he was now counting every torturing step to his apartment, but he was an Uchiha and therefore his exhaustion was known only to him. His movements held all the pride he carried and his expression was that of a statue, a cold, stoic mask.

Only when the door was closed and locked did he allow himself to heave a tired sigh. Skipping dinner he changed to his night clothes and headed straight for bed, hopping that his mind was too worn out to create another dream.

Once his head came in contact with his soft pillow he was already asleep.

**Oooooooooooooo**

The first thing that came to his mind at the sight before him was that he should have trained more.

He was in another bigger and even more luxurious room right now, in front of him to his surprise he could see no other than his father, who looked at him with the oh so familiar scowl.

His sweet and beautiful mother sat next to the head of the family with a serene expression.

"Shin," His father called out with his brown eyes locked with his.

"Your brother's coronation will be held in three full moons from now, until then I expect you to take full responsibility of your duties and end that problem that arose." He felt his fist clench at his words, but the reason behind the violent feelings that erupted inside him was beyond him, nevertheless his head dipped slightly in a respectful nod.

"Yes father."

"Good, you are dismissed." He stood up without a moment's hesitation and exited the room. His eyes took in the intricate corridors that lay in front of his feet. He walked swiftly, making sure to check behind him as he went. Once outside his steps became more silent, his eyes frantically traced the shadows for the slightest sign of another presence.

Unseen, like a deadly assassin, he sneaked across the dirty streets in search of something that made his heart beat faster and his body burn.

He stopped when his obsidian orbs fell on a small cottage, his heart skipped a beat and something inside him screamed. With one final look around he rushed towards the door.

His fist connected with the wooden door three times and then he waited until he heard someone fumble with the lock. He pushed the door, eliciting a yelp from the obviously surprised owner of the home.

"Shin! What are you doing?" He slammed the door behind him and turned around, his eyes zeroing on the glittering emeralds of the red haired woman.

"Shin?" She called again and he snapped.

"Saya…" He murmured before attacking her, crashing his lips against hers. She didn't question him just returned his gesture with even more fervor.

He wasn't gentle, his lips moved hungrily against her, tasting her soft ones and drinking in the abundance of emotions that simple contact awakened. His hands hugged her waist bringing her as close as humanly possible and she surrendered herself to him.

Her own hands felt for his neck and they comfortably snaked around it. He growled out his frustration as he pushed her against the wall trapping her in his arms. His tongue traced her lips begging for one taste of heaven and she complied. They kissed and he became bolder, yet his movements were mindful of the woman whose breath tickled his face.

Sasuke was at a loss, the feelings that run through his every nerve were something he was unfamiliar with. He felt like he was on fire, yet that fire wasn't destructive, to him it resembled the fire that lit the phoenix before he was reborn.

He had no idea how to deal with it, he desperately wanted to wake up, to get rid of all this, but another part of him wanted to stay like this forever. His hands moved on their own, tracing patterns up her tight until they reached the woman's behind. He brought her even closer, while his lips descended on the soft sun-kissed skin of her neck.

The woman's hands flew to his chest and she pushed slightly. Immediately his body halted every movement and his eyes met the incredibly familiar emerald orbs of the woman that looked at him with a heartbreaking admiration.

"What's wrong Shin?" A shaky breath left his lips and he bend down so that their foreheads touched.

"Nii-san is becoming king in three months…" He trailed of as the woman's head dropped.

"Saya-"

"I know. We can't change tradition…" Her tearful voice made his heart clench.

"I won't do it!" Her blazing eyes met his.

"You will! We were never meant to be in the first place-"

"But we are!"

"It doesn't matter! It's who you are! It's your place, my place is watching you from afar and that's the people we are going to be. We have no choice…"

"I won't let them control my life like that!" He said, some of his previously forgotten anger coming back full force.

"You know the consequences."

"I do and I'm willing to-"

"I'm not!" She didn't give him the chance to talk back; she sealed his lips with hers. He kissed her back with the same desperation as he picked her up, securing her calves around his waist.

He moved blindly, as if he had taken the same path a thousand times, as he led them to what he supposed was her bed.

**Oooooooooooooo**

Sasuke woke up with a loud growl, he was panting, drawing breath after breath as if it would be his last. The sweat that covered every inch of his body did nothing to cool his heated skin.

He could still feel the burning trails she engraved on him with her fingertips. He was dizzy, his mind still drunk with something he didn't know how to name. He slowly sat up and his fingers disappeared in his raven locks, pulling at them as if that simple gesture would provide him with answers.

He couldn't just have…?

Could he?

"Damn!" He was losing it, he was sure of it now. At first his pride rejected that possibility, but now there was no mistaking it.

The worst of all was that this time he was painfully aware that his sanity was little by little eaten away. His grip on his hair tightened and his breathing turned erratic. He needed to breathe, he needed to feel free.

So he did the only thing that could grant him some comfort. He run, run at the top of his speed, run until he became one with the transparent wind.

**So how was it? **

**Remember Sasuke has no control over his actions while dreaming, so he is not exactly out of character… I think… ^.^' **

**Things will clear out eventually ^.~**

**Until next timeeeeee**


	7. Let me show you

**(^.^)/ Aloha!**

**So in this chapter you are going to witness some more Sasusaku! I hope you like it. Some things are going to get a little more complicated while others are going to be shed light into! Anyway, I'll let you see for yourself**

**Many, many, many thanks to**

_**Aelia Mikoto Uchiha**_

_**Midnight Angel Sakura**_

_**LostForever06**_

_**Wealse-chan**_

_**Sakura 8D**_

**Congratulations to **_**Midnight Angel Sakura **_**for… oh well, she knows ^.~**

**Thank you all so much!**

**Now on with the chapter!**

A loud screeching disturbed her sweet sleep. Growling audibly she slammed her fist on the source of her irritation. The poor alarm clock didn't even stand a chance against the petite woman's temperament and herculean strength. Emerald eyes sleepily greeted the world around them as their owner fought to escape the clutches of sleep.

Slowly her memories of the days before came flooding back. She jumped to her feet, getting a bit dizzy from the sudden movement. Roaming through her closet she pulled out her usual shinobi attire and headed straight for the bathroom.

She emerged a little later fully dressed and with her hair wrapped around a white towel. She rubbed the towel against her scalp and then tossed it over at her bed, leaving her hair to dry under the golden rays of the sun.

She grabbed an apple and left her apartment after locking the door. The streets were still relatively empty which was understandable considering the time. Only a few shinobi and civilians were roaming around, probably running some errands.

She smiled at some of them and even greeted some others. Most of them she had treated at least once, that was something that came hand in hand with being a medic and she would be lying if she said that she didn't enjoy interacting with other people.

As she neared their usual training field she scanned her surroundings for the familiar chakra and indeed there it was. She sighed, for a person that detests mornings the silent Uchiha sure waked up early.

From the feeling of his chakra she could tell that he was practicing some of his more complex techniques which, in turn, meant that he has been here for some time.

She stopped dead in her tracks. What on earth was she going to tell him? No, scratch that, _how _was she going to tell him? Was he even going to believe her?

No! She thought to herself, there was no backing down, no running away. She had to face him.

With that thought in mind her steps became wider and her movements sharper, filled with confidence.

SAKURA'S POV

The first thing I saw when reached my team's training place made me forget not only my newly acquired confidence but the whole reason I was in this place as well. Thankfully I could still remember my name and the name of the one possessing that muscular back that greeted me.

Sasuke stood on the other end of the clearing. What made my mouth drop though wasn't his presence but the fact that he was shirtless. My mind wandered back to the day I went to his apartment, the picture of his chiseled chest was violently projected in front of my eyes. I remembered the feeling of his muscled chest against me and the unexpected softness of his skin. I shivered, in what? I didn't even want to know.

'Bad thoughts, bad thoughts, bad thoughts!' I chanted over and over inside my head while shoving the memories in the deepest, darkest corner of my mind. Calling forth the art of pretending I set my facial features in their usual expression.

A blue light attracted my attention and I watched as Sasuke's hand, enveloped by electricity, mercilessly hit a dead tree's trunk.

'I think he is angry.' I couldn't see his expression from that far away, but his whole presence surely emitted a frightening aura. The thought of turning on my heels and fleeting passed my mind but I dismissed it before temptation got the better of me.

"Sasuke-kun!" I called and he turned around to give me a blank look. Unfortunately, he chose to ignore me and throw some shuriken at imaginary enemies.

"Sasuke-kun." I called again as I made my way towards him. I saw him run a hand through his hair.

"What?" I frowned, I didn't expect an enthusiastic greeting, but he didn't even look at me. I wasn't going to back down anyway.

"I want to talk to you." I was now a few steps away from him. He replied with –what else? - a grunt, still refusing to look at me.

"Since I don't know what that means, I'll take it as a yes." I crossed my arms in front of my chest, fully prepared to counter his frightening glare. Needless to say I was more than worried when the only thing I got was a kunai stuck to the dummy in front of him.

"It means no." His hand travelled to his weapon holder and I felt my temper rise. He was ignoring me and that stung more than I thought it would. Was I that unimportant?

"Fine! Then I won't tell you what I found out about these dream you had." Childish? I know but I couldn't help myself.

I got my revenge when his kunai missed its target.

NORMAL POV

The pinkette told him everything, about the peculiar woman with the golden eyes, her abilities and most importantly about the reference she made to his dreams. The silent Uchiha, now with his shirt back on, brought his hands up to his lips and entwined his fingers as he pondered over that new knowledge.

Golden eyes? His mind drifted to an image of huge glowing golden orbs, he had seen them too, one day at the market, but he couldn't recall ever seeing the woman the pinkette described.

All these were not important right now though, what mattered was to find out why he was having these dreams and how was that woman connected to them. At least now he knew he wasn't losing his mind.

The pinkette stared at him from the corners of her eyes, trying to analyze his expression. She flexed and curved her fingers in an attempt to release some of her anxiety. His baritone voice made her heart stop.

"How many know?" She could tell what would come next.

"Just you and me." Her voice was almost inaudible, but he heard her and for the first time that day locked his eyes on her.

"Good. Don't tell anyone." Her fists clenched and her head fell, letting her soft pink tresses hide her eyes from view.

"I can't do that." She called softly but with a tone of finality in her voice. The dark haired male sighed.

"Listen, Sakura, until I figure this out, I don't want anyone involved."

"Our team is not 'anyone'" Her voice was louder this time as an undertone of desperation slipped from her lips.

"I can deal with it myself." The glare he gave her made her shudder.

"I never said you can't, but-"

"But what?" Her eyes dropped to the floor. She was afraid. Afraid that he'd push them away once again, that he'd try to fight by himself, but above all she was afraid they would lose him again. Why couldn't she say all that out loud, scream it to him until he understood?

"Forget it." He turned around and begun to walk away, she stared at his retreating back and cursed herself mentally, she was still being immature and she knew she was way more than that.

She jumped to her feet and run after him.

"But I don't want you to fight alone!" She grabbed his arm and the world around her froze. Every fiber of her being felt as if it was hit by an electrical current, so strong it made her soul tremble.

'Chidori nagashi?' And just like that she felt herself sinking and sinking, to the bottom of a cold unforgiving ocean where darkness hugged every inch of her body and tainted her very soul.

'No…' Her eyelids fell despite her attempts to keep them up and she went numb.

**Oooooooooooo**

When she came to the first thing she saw was a white ceiling. She attempted to let out a sound of discomfort and put her hand on her throbbing head to ease the pain, but she found herself unable to do either.

"Saya?" A small voice called from her left and she turned towards whoever was speaking. She came face to face with a timid looking girl with long black hair and too light blue, almost white, eyes. She felt the girl looked familiar but at her current state she chose not to dwell too much on it.

"Oh, good you are awake! Prince Shin called for you." The girl said while pushing her index fingers together.

'What is she talking about? Who's Shin?' She tried but failed to make sense of what was going on. Before she had the chance to ask where she was, she was standing on her feet.

"Okay, thank you Aki." She bowed to the girl and walked to the door.

'What the hell is going on?' She tried moving her arm, but it wouldn't obey.

'A genjutsu?' But that wasn't possible, was it? She had never encountered such a technique before. She concentrated and tried to summon her chakra.

'Kai!' Nothing happened and she felt helpless.

'One more time… Kai!' Still her surroundings didn't change and her body still wouldn't answer to her.

Squeezing her mind for some kind of solution she failed to notice that she had stopped walking, her own voice broke her out from her thoughts.

"You shouldn't go so overboard with your training, your highness." She focused on the scene before her eyes and what she saw made her dizzy. In front of her sat none other than Uchiha Sasuke, his skin was more tanned and his upper body was littered with various scratches and wounds.

"Hn." Her heart thumped as she placed her hands on his back.

"Asteria apo psila doste mas to fos.**(1)**" The words that left her mouth were silent and they echoed so familiar, yet so foreign on her own ears. She watched slightly amazed as a pure white light enveloped her palms, it was warm and gentle, a feeling that she knew all too well.

Sasuke's wounds closed, little by little and the scars faded soon after. His tense muscles under her hands made her want to scream and she wondered why he acted as if all that was something natural.

Her work on his back was finished and she moved in front of him. She noticed his eyes were averted, strands of raven locks gently kissing his skin. She ignored him, opting to focus on her work instead.

His hand grabbed hers, preventing her from healing his wounds.

"Call me by my name." He said and she stared at him surprised.

"I can't do that, your highness." His dark orbs zeroed on her form.

"We've known each other since we were kids, you know I hate being called that." She said nothing, but tried to remove her hand from his, his grip though was something she couldn't break.

"You know the idiot still calls me bastard" A giggle managed to escape her sealed lips and he smirked at her. She coughed a couple of times attempting to hide her laugh before clearing her throat and composing herself.

"Well, that is highly disrespectful of him." He frowned again, obviously not happy with her words. He glared at her and she bowed at him. His other hand flew to her face and he forced her to look directly into his eyes. Slowly he leaned into her and brushed his lips against hers, her eyelids fell.

He repeated his actions pleased at her reactions. She jerked away from him and bowed her head repeatedly.

"I-I'm so s-sorry." He grabbed her arms and pinned her against the wall.

"Do you not want this?" He asked slowly, calmly.

"No." She answered weakly.

"Do you not want me?"

"N-No…"

"Say it while looking at me and I will leave you alone." She tried but she was unable to lift her eyes from the cold floor. The feelings she couldn't deny weighted down on her.

"Hn, then stop annoying me." He gently kissed her and she let him.

"Your highness-"

"What's my name, Saya?"

"S-Shin."

"Hn."She didn't let her say anything else, his name alone was enough. His hands traveled to her waist holding her gently as his lips pushed slightly against hers. With a shaky sigh, that heated his skin, her hands hesitantly touched his neck.

In an attempt to make her feel more confident his lips picked up speed.

When they broke their innocent kiss their eyes bored into each other and their foreheads came in contact. The raven haired male took her hand in his and set it directly above his furiously beating heart.

**Oooooooooooo**

Bottomless black orbs revealed, the dark haired male took in his surroundings. To his surprise pink obscured his vision and his eyes connected with bright emerald ones. He could feel a sight pressure against his forehead and his arms were tightly gripping something soft.

His body was quivering ever so slightly but he concentrated on getting back to his usual self. Realization hit him like a ton of bricks; the bright, captivating eyes belonged to no other than his female teammate. Right now his hands are resting on her slender waist and their foreheads are touching.

He also noticed her hand on his chest, while the other one was around his neck.

'What the…?" One moment she was there grabbing his arms then the next she was impossibly close to him. He knew he had one of those dreams again, but was that possible? He was sure he was awake…

What had he done in the meantime that got him in this complex situation? He noticed they were in the exact same pose as in his dream and that rang some alarms inside his head.

He didn't have the chance to form possible scenarios, as the body that was so close to him slipped from his grip. He caught a glimpse of her eyes rolling back to her head and he cursed as he tightened his grip, holding the almost unconscious woman up.

A closer look at her face revealed that she was extremely pale and trembling. Another curse left his lips as the joints on his own shaky legs locked. Taking deep breaths he fought to resist the earth's pull.

"Sakura?" He called and she moaned in pain.

"Can you stand?" She nodded as she struggled to do as asked. Her hands gripped his shirt like her life was depending on it as he moved them both under the tree they sat before. The sat there trying to calm their breathing.

He glanced at her, she was still sickly pale and looked as if she was going to pass out any moment, but at least now her eyes looked more focused.

"What was that?" She struggled to get her voice loud enough for him to hear. He froze.

"What was what?" He answered still sort of breath, but in a much better form than her.

"I saw you, hurt… I healed you… I called you Shin…"She didn't have the energy to form any more coherent sentences, but it didn't matter to him, because he knew the rest of the story.

He said nothing as his mind was filled with more questions.

Why did it happen now?

Why did she saw it too?

Damn! If only he could get an answer to even one of his questions.

"Is that what you see?" She asked and it was no use denying it, Sakura was too smart for him to somehow cover it up, so he nodded, knowing that he had no other choice but to admit the truth.

She stayed quiet, seemingly analyzing the newly acquired data and he found himself unable to make a sound either, his mind was too preoccupied trying to wrap around the facts.

"Sasuke-kun?" She asked for his attention and he reluctantly gave it to her.

"The clothes I wore… they were a similar style to that woman's…" And his goal was set, he couldn't ignore this any longer, he had to find that woman Sakura was talking about and make her spill whatever she knew about his dreams.

For his safety and that of the woman before him he had to find the woman with the golden eyes.

**1) Stars from above give us your light…. Not that important though…**

**So I attempted a Sakura's POV in this chapter. I thought I should try it out. Let me know if you would like to see more of that from now on or not.**

**Any ideas of what could be going on?**

**If you have any questions or suggestions or anything you would like to tell, you can pm me or say it in a review and I will be more than happy to reply.**

**So, I think that's all I wanted to say…**

**Until next time!**


	8. Glowing Anger

**(^.^)/**

**So sorry, that took me a lot longer than originally planned, but I was ill T.T**

**A huge thank you too**

**Guest**

**Aelia Mikoto Uchiha**

**Wealse-chan**

**LostForever06**

**Sakura 8D**

**Midnight Angel Sakura**

**Congratulations to LostForever06 **

**I would also like to say that I titled all the chapters, but that's the only thing I changed**

**On with the chapter!**

Sasuke's eyes opened slowly, slightly fluttering as the sunrays met the dark orbs. His breathing was slow and his mind an endless abyss, now covered by the veil of the night. Meditating once seemed meaningless, but now it was the only thing that could completely numb his senses. He emptied his mind of his deafening thoughts and he submerged himself in the silence. Like a much needed anesthesia a calm feeling washed through his sore muscles.

But it was all over the instant he opened his eyes. A lock of rebellious raven hair tickled his nose, taunting him for being unable to be one with the transparent wind, for being forever chained to the land.

A strand of pink hair joined his own in his field of vision; it danced along the rhythm of the wind intertwined with his own. He just stared at them until the music ended and they separated with a whispered goodbye.

He followed the line of pink as it finally rested on creamy skin. The weight on his shoulder hadn't gone unnoticed, but he'd decided that it wasn't disturbing him. He watched as her nose twitched a bit, unconsciously trying to get rid of the tickling sensation that single unruly lock caused.

His hand made to lift, but he stopped it, he willed it to lay still despite its want to reach for the pinkette and tuck the annoying strand behind her ear. He averted his eyes, opting to stare deep into the lush forest of Konoha instead.

Sighing he tried to forget about the girl snoring inaudibly so close to him, but the small puffs of air that hit his skin branded him unable to do so. He looked at the sun and concluded that it was time to get up.

He shook the girl next to him and murmured her name, but she didn't even stir. Deciding it was a lost battle he picked her up and stood on his feet. He received no reaction from his teammate and he took that as his cue to fly in between the trees.

He reached her apartment in a few minutes and instead of going for the door he opted to just jump in from the half opened window. He spotted her room and gently laid her down on her bed after removing her boots.

He checked her breathing only to find her trapped in the clutches of sleep. He made to leave the same way he came in before her soft voice echoed in the room.

"Sasuke-kun?" She had turned on her side, propping herself up on one elbow.

"Hn." He grunted in acknowledgement of her calling.

"What happened?" She answered, rubbing her throbbing temples with the thumb and index fingers of her free hand.

"You fell asleep." He spoke and she felt the memories of what happened earlier rush back to her.

"Oh, the training." She stood up and he watched as she swayed before unceremoniously plopping back down. He raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow and she gave an awkward grin.

"Just stay here, I'll tell them you were sick or something." She opened her mouth to object but he silenced her with a glare, sighing she crossed her arms in front of her chest and made sure it was crystal clear that she was not happy with him.

Their eyes locked in a battle of stares before she was forced to drop her gaze.

"Fine." She mumbled, missing the smirk that escaped the Uchiha's self control. He jumped and disappeared from her sight.

Sighing once again she lay back down on her bed and sent some healing chakra to ease her killer headache. She let her mind drift back to that weird vision.

'_Saya.' _The name gave her a funny feeling. It sounded so familiar, yet so alien. She couldn't tell what was that that made her heart beat faster at the thought of that name. If she had to describe it she would say it felt like a dull ache had settled deep inside her chest, but somehow the sensation wasn't all that unpleasant.

She chose not to dwell on it anymore since she didn't even make sense. She pushed her mind to recall every little detail of the vision.

The intricate designs on the walls, the sounds around her and finally her thoughts swirled around his form. His mesmerizing charcoal eyes, his rebellious hair, the feeling of his lips on hers.

She squeaked and brought her hands on her face to cover her blushing cheeks, cursing her traitorous mind for replaying those images. She could literally feel his skin each and every time it came in contact with her own.

She slammed her pillow on her head. His heartbeat against her palm was a sensation that left her breathless and it was only a vision for crying out loud. How could it have such an impact on her? And why did she even have it in the first place?

Inside her mind something clicked and she sat up. Sasuke had the same vision! All she could remember after it ended was a swaying, blurry picture, but she was sure she asked him something and he seemed shocked.

'Concentrate!' She commanded herself as she tried to analyze his reactions. The headache she had managed to get of her back came back full force.

'Could it be?' Could she have seen one of the 'dreams' he has been having?

'But how?' Question after question slapped her brain that was working furiously to produce an answer. She bit her lip.

**Oooooooooooooooo**

The woman chuckled as her fingertips touched the glass of the sphere she held in her hands. The round object shone in different colors as a picture was painted inside it. She grinned as the form of a dark haired man became clear.

"Training again? You are so boring Sasuke-kun." Her overly sweet voice echoed in the dark room.

Another figure entered the picture and the woman grimaced, the pink hair gave it all away. The two of them sat under the shade of a tree and she could only guess what they could be talking about. She grinned evilly.

The man stood up with an expression that spelled raw anger and begun walking away, the pinkette after a couple of moments stood up as well and chased after him.

The woman jerked away from the sphere as a shiver run down her spine. She could feel them fall, their souls sinking to the backstage of their darkest memories.

They stayed like that for a while, the pink haired girl holding the young man's arm. Suddenly he moved, his arms enveloping her waist as his lips clash against hers. His eyes remained wide open, unfocused, as if glued at an eerie illusion. Her eyes mirrored his own, a dull, empty green, staring off somewhere in the distance.

She jumped to her feet unable to handle the sight any longer.

"Damn!" She screamed and the glass of the small windows shattered, the shards scattered on the floor reflecting the little light that seeped in the room.

The door flew open and a tall man entered the room, looking around him with fear evident in his eyes.

"Arai-sama?" He was surprised as his brown eyes met the ones of the woman.

Her golden orbs were burning with hate, the unearthly glow paralyzing him. She averted her eyes and he looked on the floor, quickly locating the cause of the ruckus.

"This wasn't supposed to happen!" Each word was dripping with poison and the tone was sharp, it cut through his skin.

"Damn her!" She swung her arm around and the door, as if pulled by an invisible force, flew off its hinges and crashed to the opposite wall.

"What do you want me to do, Arai-sama?" He stood up proud, ready to complete any order.

"How about we pay Sasuke-kun a little visit, Baku?" Her relaxed façade was back in place, yet he could tell the furry that hid behind her vivid eyes. After all these years, he could feel her rage rolling of in waves that made his skin crawl.

**Oooooooooooooooo**

"What did you do to Sakura-chan, TEME?" The blond shrieked, pointing an accusing finger at the ebony haired youth.

"I told you Dobe, she wasn't feeling well." Kakashi was amused, to say the least, as he watched the Uchiha begin to snap. He could hear his teammate's cries for so long before he lost his cool. Though, he noticed the silent man was easier to piss of today.

"SHUT UP TEME! I KNOW IT WAS YOUR FAULT!" He continued not noticing the darkening mood of his best friend.

"Hn." The Uchiha crossed his arms and threw him a murderous glare. The blond stared back at him, countering the famous glare with one of his own. Their silver haired sensei took that as his cue to interfere. He jumped between them and held his hands up.

"Now, now, why don't you just start sparring and we visit Sakura right after?" Both men smirked, liking the idea.

"No chidori or rasengan." He spoke in a more serious tone and both of them growled. He sweatdropped, sometimes those two were so similar.

Sasuke was the first to move, disappearing from their sight and reappearing above his rival, aiming a punch for his face. The blond blocked and tried to grab his arm. He failed and was forced back, putting a much needed distance between them.

The Uchiha wouldn't have that, letting all of his frustration run through his muscles, he moved with unimaginable speed, fully intent on kicking his teammate's ass with a series of precise taijutsu moves.

'_Sasuke-kun' _He lost his footing and stumbled, but he was a proud Uchiha so he didn't allow himself to fall, he continued with his plan.

'_I don't think so Sasuke-kun' _The voice invaded his ears and he felt himself lose every contact with his otherwise keen senses. His speed was reduced to unacceptable, according to him, levels and the loudmouthed shinobi, who had by then caught on to his tactic, met him halfway through the training field.

He couldn't concentrate, the echo of those words made him dizzy and thus the blond was able to keep up with him just fine. Gritting his teeth he decided he wasn't going to let the dobe beat him.

He ducked and extended his leg to the air, successfully throwing the blond upwards. He shadowed him and smirked at the blond's expression.

"Shishi Rendan!" He called out as he spun the man around. A dark chuckle made the hair on the back of his neck stand. What worried him though was the fact that no one else seemed to notice anything weird.

A loud POOF and the Naruto in front of him vanished into thin air. He cursed himself for not noticing the shadow clone. Landing to the balls of his feet he got ready for a head-on attack, this was the dobe he was sparring with, after all.

Naruto didn't disappoint him and soon enough he roared, charging his next attack. Sasuke moved behind him aiming a kick to his back, but the future Hokage avoided it with surprising speed. A smirk was his answer at the obvious challenge his best friend spelled out to him.

He moved sideways to avoid a punch while bringing his own towards the blue eyed young man's abdomen.

'_You should take better care of Saya, Sasuke-kun. Who knows what could happen to her…'_

His aim slipped and the next thing he registered was the feeling of flying backwards, while the sharp pain on his chest suggested that his sparring partner managed to land a powerful hit right at his chest.

But that wasn't important. The voice in his head was driving him crazy. Take care of Saya?

Did that mean Sakura was in danger?

He stood on his feet with his bangs shielding his eyes from view and looked over at Naruto, who stared at him as if he'd grown another head. Lifting his eyes he threw the man a look that clearly said he wanted to be left alone and with that he rushed away, not bothering with giving an explanation for his weird behavior.

"TEME?" Naruto made to chase after him before an arm blocked his way.

"Demo, Kakashi-sensei!" The jonin shook his head.

**Oooooooooooooooo**

She stretched her arms above her head, content after listening to the crack produced by her back.

"Itadakimasu!" She called as dug in one of her favorite desserts, Anmitsu. She munched happily, now actually satisfied with her 'day of'

It was already afternoon and she had taken care of all the chores that had accumulated that week. All that was left to do was take a long soothing bath and have a good night's sleep so that she could cope with tomorrow's shift at the hospital. She leaned back, getting more comfortable on her couch.

The hairs on her neck stood and goose bumps appeared on her skin, but she paid no attention to the alarming signs as she recognized the source of her distress. A pretty familiar chakra spiked and she could imagine the handsome Uchiha skip from one roof to the next.

After a couple of minutes the same feeling tickled her senses. She frowned, why was Sasuke still here?

She closed her eyes and followed his chakra all the way to the roof of her house, her frown deepened, but she decided not to move from her spot.

She was done with her anmitsu and the Uchiha was still there, so she decided to check it out. Slowly she crept out of her balcony and made sure not to get herself noticed. Using a little bit of chakra she glued herself to the wall and begun to walk up to the roof as if gravity held no power over her.

She saw him sitting at the far left corner of the roof, looking deep in thought. She knew he hated being disturbed when thinking, but she couldn't help her raging curiosity.

"Sasuke-kun?" He jumped slightly and turned to look at her with his obsidian orbs slightly wide.

"What are you doing here?" She received no answer and she sighed.

"Do you want some tea?" He turned to face her once again, only this time one of eyebrows was raised.

**Oooooooooooooooo**

"What should we do, Arai-sama?" The woman slid her finger against the golden chains that decorated her neck as she watched her targets sipping from their cups.

"We wait until the night falls." She spoke just as the pinkette's laugh reached her ears.

**Oooh, someone's angry!**

**Sasuke-kun and Sakura-chan are in trouble!**

**What do you think will happen? Any guesses?**

**I have nothing else to say, hmmm… except maybe, review?**

**Well, until next time…**


	9. Spica

**Hello! ^_^**

**So sorry for the delay, I was violently shoved of program….**

**I hope I can make up for it though…**

**Thank you to:**

**Midnight Angel Sakura**

**LadyAizenUchiha**

**Wealse-chan**

**Aelia Mikoto Uchiha**

**Sakura 8D**

**SorrowoftheHeart**

**LostForever06**

**Now on with chapter 9: Spika**

_There is a pair of stars that are called by one name._

_I searched the night sky, which of those is it?_

_Hey if the starlight is to tie up the separated hands, the name of the star we've recalled will guide us to the future we couldn't reach._

_Companions forever, side-by-side, always together, _

_White Spica…._

_**Plastic Tree- Spica**_

Her slender fingers were gripping her now cold cup, while her eyes were glued on the male in front of her. Her frown deepened as he unceremoniously sipped from his tea without making any sound. She searched for his eyes, but he skillfully avoided her questioning gaze.

"So…" She started unsure."Why were you on my roof?" He paused and without setting down his own cup, he raised his eyebrow, finally granting her the eye contact she was seeking. He seemed to contemplate for just a moment whether or not to give her an answer.

"Hn." The pinkette resisted the urge to bang her head on the wooden table and opted to leave an exasperated sigh instead. She knew she couldn't force the answer out of him, even if she tried. She threw a glance out of her window, the streets of Konoha were empty, allowing a comfortable silence to stretch in the otherwise busting with people village. The eerie veil of the night, softly descending the starry sky, had already covered the horizon.

Her eyes settled on the glittering stars and a ghost of a smile grazed her features, the night sky was one of the things that never seized to amaze her, an endless black abyss graced with shimmers of pure light, she could get lost in the celestial vault until the sun shed its light on the breathtaking spectacle.

Her faraway expression seemed to attract the attention of the male who sat in front of her. He had to suppress his smirk as he watched her wide emerald eyes greedily drinking in the sight of the night sky, her features seemed to get more child-like with every passing minute, her innocence caused a mix of surprise, admiration, serenity and melancholy to bloom somewhere deep inside his chest.

To him the night sky mirrored his existence, dark and frightening to those who were used to the light, unreachable and thus left alone. Yet there she was, laughing and reaching her hand to the darkness, yearning to touch her own Spica.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" She questioned, breaking the silence that had settled between them. He stared at her unsure of whether she actually requested an answer. Slowly getting up, she smiled, never averting her eyes from the hypnotic scenery. Chuckling, she jumped out of her window leaving a certain Uchiha staring dumbfounded at the space she occupied.

Feeling for her chakra he located her somewhere above his head and sighed. Couldn't she just sit there and let him keep an eye on her in silence? Standing up he went after her, not bothering to conceal the frown decorating his cold face.

Her grin was bright with an apologetic tone as she motioned for him to join her. She was lying on the roof with her hands comfortably tucked behind her head and her legs stretched.

"Oh come on, if you like sitting on my roof now is the best time." She pouted in an attempt to make him stay, but unknown to her the silent Uchiha didn't really have a choice. With his eyebrow twitching visibly he plopped down next to her, with his hands stubbornly crossed on his chest. She giggled at his childish behavior.

"You know, no one is keeping you here, you can always go. Why are you here anyway?" She said, secretly wishing that he would stay.

"Hn." A challenging smirk appeared on his face as his dark orbs locked with her own, emerald ones.

"Do you want me to leave?" She gapped at him, the gears in her head spinning wildly.

"You didn't answer my question." She accused and he shrugged.

"I won't." Feeling her irritation flare, she readied herself for a comeback, but the words were lost as soon as the black haired male laid back, taking a position similar to her.

He looked up at the sky, shutting out the fuming woman until she stopped rambling and laid back down with a loud growl.

Silence once again consumed them as they got lost in their thoughts.

**Ooooooooooooo**

The woman watched with her lips set on a deep frown at the pair laying peacefully under the stars.

"Baku, take care of the guard." Her voice was cold, void of every emotion but menace. Her eyes were narrowed to form a glare that could send shivers down anyone's pine.

"Hai." The male rose to his feet and bowed in respect before disappearing into the shadows to complete his mission.

"Now, better get ready Shin." She whispered to no one in particular as a thick dark fog engulfed her form.

**Ooooooooooooo**

Sakura turned her face to her left, focusing her eyes on the sole Uchiha's troubled expression. As if sensing her staring, he moved turned to her as well, their eyes were drown to each others like a magnet, searching for answers to questions they couldn't recall, seeking emotions buried away. Feminine lips parted, but no sound came out in fear of breaking the spell.

"Am I interrupting something?" A vicious voice said and the magic came undone as the two Konoha shinobi jumped to their feet. Sakura gasped as her mind registered the form of the woman that proudly leaned against the wall. The dark haired man examined his teammate's expression and his suspicions were confirmed.

He glared at the unknown woman, sending her a warning not to mess with them. However, those glowing golden eyes countered his famous glare as if completely unaffected by the murderous intent hidden inside the black abyss of his gaze.

A smirk had them both on the edge, expert hands clutching dangerous weapons ready for any attack. The woman run a hand over the chains decorating her neck as she scanned the body of the pinkette.

"I see you are unharmed." The disappointment in her tone was more than obvious and said pinkette gritted her teeth. The Uchiha tightened his grip on his sword.

"Who are you?" She bit through her rising anger, only to receive a chuckle in response.

"You can call me Arai."She detached herself from the wall and stepped closer to the two ninjas.

"What do you want?" It was Sasuke that spoke this time, his eyes bleeding red and his glare intensifying. Golden eyes landed on him and had him suppress a shiver that threatened to whack his body. His instincts screamed incoherent warnings, but he refused to give in and kept his pose.

"Now, after all this time, is that all you have to say? I expected something along the lines of 'I missed you' to be honest." His eyes narrowed even more, if that's possible.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He hissed and she chuckled, completely ignoring his more than obvious anger. Suddenly she disappeared from their view and Sasuke felt his blood stop flowing as a warm puff of air hit the back of his neck.

How was that even possible? His sharingan was activated, yet he couldn't detect her movements. Quickly and at the same time gracefully he turned around swinging his sword to her direction. The slender edge of Kusanagi made a hissing sound as it slashed through air.

"Behind you!" The pinkette screamed, having caught sight of long brown hair being swept by the breeze. The Uchiha jumped up to avoid the incoming weapon while the pinkette run past him with her fist coated with a thick layer of chakra.

"You never learn, do you?" With a flick of the woman's wrist Sakura was sent flying.

"Sakura!" The Uchiha made to move to her but a soft whisper coming from behind him stopped him dead in his tracks.

"How does it feel to know you can't protect her?" The anger that rushed through his veins at the sound of that simple question was something he couldn't explain.

"Shut up!" He roared as his teammate hit the wall, he cursed himself for being unable to help her in any way. Obviously in pain, the pinkette lifted herself up and a green glow erupted in her palms, signaling that she was healing her injury, only then was he able to leave a sigh of relief.

"Who are you? What's your goal?" He screamed, his voice hoarse from the anger flowing in it. A sinister laughter, echoing in the silence of the night was her response.

She appeared in front of him, lips still twisted in a frightening smile and golden eyes boring into his as if tracing the soul hidden behind those dark windows. He froze even though his mind screamed for him to move, a throbbing, painful sensation tickled his every nerve. She leaned more towards him and her index finger came to rest on his now drenched with cold sweat forehead.

"Don't tell me you don't remember your own wife."

'Don't screw with me!' He tried to shout, but he found his voice trapped in his throat. Her cold touch made him shiver, it disgusted him to the very core and there was nothing that he wanted more, that particular moment, than for her to be gone. His limps felt heavy and no matter how much he tried they just hang there, completely useless.

His lids begun to drop against his will, his vision grew blurry.

_SASUKE-KUN! _That faraway voice was so alien, yet so familiar. He felt the need to respond, to calm the agony coloring that word. His body failed to comply and all sense of light was forgotten as his senses submerged in darkness.

Sakura watched with her eyes wide as the young Uchiha's eyes faded to black, his powerful sword slipped from his pale fingers and fell on the floor, making a loud metallic sound. His body seemed to have lost all energy, his eyelids slowly slid closed.

"SASUKE-KUN!" She screamed feeling fear consume her whole. That couldn't be… Uchiha Sasuke just couldn't be defeated that easily… It wasn't right…

The demonic chuckle pulled her attention back to the gold-eyed woman who stood looking down at the fallen raven haired man. She pulled a knife out of somewhere and held it above the Uchiha, while smirking at the pinkette.

She gritted her teeth and eyed her shaking, from anger and fear, fists. If Sasuke was defeated just like that, what were her chances?

No! She pushed all those thoughts out of her mind. She wasn't that weak little girl anymore and there was no way in hell she was going to let her lay a finger on her friend. She tightened her fists and the shaking stopped.

"Stay away from him." She hissed threateningly, while her mind worked furiously to come up with some sort f plan, at this point anything would do.

"And why should I?" She tossed the knife in the air and caught it again, taunting the medic-nin. Said ninja narrowed her eyes as she let her chakra circulate through her whole body.

The brown haired woman lifted her hand up clutching the weapon tightly in her palm. Sakura concentrated her everything on her feet, propelling herself forward. She extended her hand to deliver a punch to the woman's stomach, while at the same time making sure that she drove her away from Sasuke.

Arai swiftly moved backwards, avoiding every single hit the Konoha shinobi attempted to land with an unimaginable grace. The pinkette held her breath at the sharp pain that erupted from the just-acquired wound on her bicep.

'Shit.' She jumped back and landed in front of her teammate's unmoving body. A kunai was sent flying her way and she side-stepped, successfully avoiding it.

"Careless, aren't we?" Sakura's eyes widen and she spun around only to find the same kunai mere inches away from her face, knowing there was no way she could completely avoid it she brought her hands up and braced herself for the incoming pain.

The pain never came though and when the pinkette heard the loud curse coming from the other woman's mouth her closed lids snapped open. Relief washed over her at the sight of the familiar white haired jonin, tightly grasping the kunai's hilt.

"Arigatou." She said and turned to face her enemy to find her avoiding a wave of attacks courtesy of Naruto's bunshins.

"We'll meet again!" She growled out before thick dark mist covered her body, concealing her from the shinobis' expert eyes. The three of them were tense until the mist finally faded to nothing, erasing every trace of the golden eyed woman.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura mumbled, suddenly remembering the state of said male. She rushed to his side with panicked long strides, setting her glowing hands on his forehead she quickly checked his vitals.

She sighed once again, everything appeared to be normal, his pulse was quicker than it should though, but that was nothing to worry about.

"What happened?" Their sensei hovered over the medic to get a closer look to his unconscious student. To say he was surprised to find the last Uchiha in such a state would be an understatement.

"I-I don't know…" She had no idea why he lost consciousness, or what he was experiencing right now. Everything seemed alright, almost as if he were sleeping. Her thoughts froze on that word. 'Sleeping' Could he really…?

"In any case, let's get him inside." The older man threw Sasuke over his shoulders and motioned for the pinkette to lead the way.

"Naruto, leave some clones to scan the perimeter." His order snapped the blond out of his thoughts. Nodding the loudmouthed future Hokage lifted his arms to form the appropriate hand seal.

_Kagebunshin no Jutsu!_

With a loud _POOF_ five exact copies of the blue eyed man appeared, ready for action. The clones disappeared into the night as team Kakashi proceeded to enter the apartment.

**Ooooooooooooooo**

"That's all…" The pinkette was sitting on the edge of her bed with her hands resting on her lap and her fingers entwined. Her eyes were downcast and her heartbeat was frantic, she was just done explaining everything that happened to her two teammates who were sitting on chairs in front of her.

The older of the two was deep in thought which was obvious by his unusual, serious expression. The other one was zeroed on the figure laying on the pink covers, his facial features held confidence along the many other emotions she couldn't recognize. Her gaze drifted to the man behind her.

'_Sasuke-kun…' _Her heart clenched painfully inside her chest and her eyes burned, the familiar sensation evoked by unshed tears was something familiar, yet this time the hopelessness that came hand in hand with the tightening of her throat felt like heavy shackles that tore every fiber of her soul.

Uchiha Sasuke, her teammate, the one she loved was suffering and there was nothing she could do, but watch. His face was deathly pale, his skin too cold, yet drenched with sweat. His breathing was nothing more than frantic, pained pants that were sporadically interrupted by hoarse growls.

Once again she set her hand on his forehead and brushed back the stands of raven hair that stubbornly stuck to his face. His tense muscles relaxed a bit and he leaned into her touch, desperately seeking her comfortable warmth, like a child searching for comfort.

A hand on her shoulder had her turn her head towards the blond shinobi. He gave her a gentle smile and squeezed her shoulder in reassurance, she tried to smile back, knowing that he was equally as worried for his best friend.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan. Teme will be fine." She nodded wishing with everything she had that everything be okay.

**Ooooooooooooooo**

Sasuke's eyes opened to the now familiar scenery, the stone walls, the luxurious decorations and he inwardly sighed. A hand landed on his shoulder and he turned around to meet the gentle, understanding eyes of his older brother.

"Shin…" He whispered squeezing his shoulders, only then did Sasuke realize his tightening fists and the boiling liquid anger that run though his veins.

"I'm fine." His voice, a low threatening whisper didn't seem to have any effect on the older man.

"It's time…" The regret was well hidden inside the darkness of his eyes, yet Sasuke wouldn't be fooled.

"I know…" His shoulders slumped visibly and his brother sighed.

"I'll do everything in my power to change things and that is a promise, little brother." His lids slid closed and he nodded while turning around.

"Let's go…" His feet lead the way through the maze of corridors with the older male hot on his heels.

Soon enough he was facing two wooden doors, a hand rested against the dark wood and pushed it open to reveal a big room. The sunlight was pouring inside from several windows that were built high on the walls, red and golden silk was covering a fairly large portion of his vision, but what caught his attention was no other than the occupants of the room.

His father was sitting on the chair furthest ahead with his hands entwined under his jaw, his whole pose screamed of power and authority, to his right sat his wife who, however seemed to have lost her usual, carefree expression.

The man who sat on his father's left made his blood run cold. The menacing gold eyes stared deep into his soul and he felt petrified by all the darkness he could almost see pouring out of them. His long black hair and his snake like features left no room for questions concerning his identity.

'_Orochimaru?'_

"Just in time." His father's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "King of Yukusato, those are my sons, the future king, Ryuta" Sasuke watched his brother bow from the corner of his eye. "and the prince, Shin." He felt his body twist and he cringed mentally as he gave a deep bow to please the disgusting man.

"Have a seat." Both raven haired males did as asked without any objection. The sole female in the group presented them with a small understanding smile.

"I was in the middle of explaining to king Fushiwara a little about our customs." She then turned her face back to the creepy man, all traces of her smile erased from her face.

"As I was saying, Ryuta's coronation will be held in a month, however, the oldest son can't be crowned king unless all of his younger siblings are married. That tradition was born to ensure the continuation of the clan, even if the new king dies. That is why we wanted to expedite the engagement." The snake smirked in what obviously was satisfaction.

"Very well, I see no reasons to delay what's already been decided." He sent a devilish smirk towards the fuming male and he snapped his fingers.

"Let me introduce you to your future wife, prince." The doors opened and in came a woman dressed in white silky robes, her brown hair swayed behind her with every step she took. With gracious moves she removed the fabric that covered her face and glued her eyes to those of the young man.

Sasuke felt his pulse stop and his mind completely blank, no thought dared to reveal itself at the sight of those glowing gold eyes.

"That is my daughter, Arai."

**Longest chapter yet!**

**So, how was it? **

**From now on I'll try to update every weekend…**

**Spica: **The brightest star in the constellation of Virgo (15th brightest star in the nighttime sky) Spica is a binary star. (which means it's actually two stars orbiting around their common center of mass) The components are so close together that they cannot be resolved as individual stars through a telescope.

**I have nothing else to say, so…**

**Goodnight!**


	10. My own choice!

**Hello! (^_^)/**

**How are you doing? I'm back with chapter number 10!**

**Thank you so much:**

**Sakura 8D**

**Aen Silver Fire**

**LostForever06**

**Midnight Angel Sakura**

**Lilac Uchiha**

**NativeBeauty420**

**Now on with the chapter!**

"_Let me introduce you to your future wife, prince." The doors opened and in came a woman dressed in white silky robes, her brown hair swayed behind her with every step she took. With gracious moves she removed the fabric that covered her face and glued her eyes to those of the young man._

_Sasuke felt his pulse stop and his mind completely blank, no thought dared to reveal itself at the sight of those glowing gold eyes._

"_That is my daughter, Arai."_

His face, a porcelain mask, concealed the violent battle that raged inside of him. His eyes, obsidian silky curtains, remained blank, unmoving as if unaffected by the sudden speeding of his heartbeat. The only parts of his body that displayed any emotion were his hands. Long fingers twitched violently as his fist clenched at the burning, liquid anger that flood his veins.

'Arai?' That woman… she stood in front of him with her glimmering, golden eyes refusing to leave his own dark orbs. Her face, her hair, even her clothes were identical to those of the woman he could remember fighting not that long ago.

The same name, it couldn't be a coincidence, could it? Could that image be the corollary of his own twisted subconscious mind?

He couldn't help but notice her expression, the bloodthirsty smirk was replaced with a serene almost invisible smile. She bowed deeply as she sent a smile his way.

"It's an honor to meet you, prince Shin." She trailed off as her eyes scanned his whole form, starting from the top of his head and tracing every inch of him until they reached his toes. A shiver erupted in his body, small electrical currents painfully caressing his muscles and he instantly knew that her innocent persona was nothing more than an expertly colored mask.

His pulse run wild, while the muscles of his face strained to withhold the glare that he wanted to present her with. Catching his mother's concerned glance, he bowed his head as a sign of acknowledgment.

All those emotions that strained against his chest were so familiar yet they felt so far away, like an afterimage of scattered feelings, like whispers of long forgotten memories.

"Shin, I expect you to treat our guest with outmost care." His father's stiff voice had him crashing back to reality, if what he was currently experiencing could be called that. Left with no other option, seeing that his father's words were final, he nodded, his voice lost deep under the layers of anger and confusion.

"Why don't you show my daughter around, prince?" The snake hissed, satisfaction painted with vivid colors all over his face. Sasuke found himself wishing he could wipe that revolting smirk from the man's sickly white face.

"Hn." He stood and without sparring so much as a glance at their 'honorable' guests he made his way out of the room with a certain brunette hot on his heels.

**Ooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Sakura sighed as she carefully spread the thick pink blanket over the body of the sleeping blonde. His snores were the only sound one could hear in the room.

"You should get some sleep too, you have the morning shift at the hospital tomorrow, right?" She lifted her emerald eyes to look at her sensei, whose face was buried between the pages of his irreplaceable orange book.

She sighed inaudibly while stealing a quick glimpse of the body sprawled on her bed, her eyes softened at the sight of his face contorted into a hurt expression and drenched in sweat.

"I don't think I can." She whispered and the jonin lifted his head from his book just enough to scan her expression. Shaking his head he returned to his book.

"You know Kakashi-sensei, you shouldn't read that much, it's not good for your eyes." She attempted to joke and his head snapped up, his sole eye wide in shock.

"But I just got to the good part! The guy rescued the girl and now they are going to-"

"SENSEI!" She screamed, her hands automatically covering her poor ears as a blush dusted her cheeks.

He smiled at her, a fact evident by the wrinkles that formed in the corner of his closed eye. She let out a breath and rubbed her tired eyes with her index fingers in a desperate attempt to alleviate the throbbing pain that had settled in her temples.

"I'll go scan the neighborhood, get some rest." He stood up and tucked his famous orange book in his back pocket. She watched as he jumped from the window and became one with the shadows of the night.

Her green, sparkling eyes turned to her dark haired teammate and her feet brought her to his side. Glowing hands rested on his forehead, his skin was hot with rivulets of sweat rolling down his face.

His fever wouldn't go down, not even her chakra was much of a help. She grabbed the cloth soaking in a bowl of water on her nightstand and removed the excess water. His facial features softened a bit when she set the cloth on his forehead. He sighed loudly and instinctively moved towards her.

She stared at him, a weird sensation washing over her. The hand holding the cloth on his forehead slipped and came to rest on his cheek. Her other hand reached his own and held it, her eyes stung with tears she refused to shed. His fingers wrapped around her hand and squeezed, surprised she tried to pull away, but his grasp was way too tight.

Blue eyes closed again after watching the whole scene, his small smile went unseen as sleep consumed him once again.

**Ooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"Where are you going?" Sasuke felt his body freeze at the sound of his brother's calm voice. He turned around to meet the older man's emotionless façade.

"It's none of your business." His velvety, baritone voice dripped with poison. He turned around, ready to take his leave when his vision was covered in black. His hand reached up and removed the dark fabric from his head, where it was unceremoniously thrown.

"I cannot tell you what's the right thing to do, but I can tell you that the path you chose to walk is a dangerous one." Sasuke turned to watch his brother with a mix of wander and surprise in his charcoal orbs.

"Don't be seen." Sasuke heard him say before he watched him walk away, nodding to himself he pulled the black cloak over his head.

'Be careful' He never heard the silent whisper that left his brother's lips like a silent prayer floating in a cloudy sky.

He rushed through the dark streets, a slender shadow among the shadows. His goal was clear in his mind and his feet carried him with the force of the burning sensation inside his chest.

The familiar door came to sight and he froze in his tracks, quickly checking his surroundings. He hurtled to the small building and slammed his fist on the wooden structure. Not too long after that the door was yanked open and a hand flew out, grabbing his shirt and forcefully pulling him inside.

The woman's emerald eyes were wide, anxious as if fearing his next action. He reached up and removed his hood, his eyes locking with those enticing emerald orbs. The woman didn't move, her mouth opened slightly, but her voice never came out.

"I met her." He said simply, as if it didn't matter to him, yet that wasn't the case. So many emotions swam in his mind and his heart was ready to burst, to be enveloped in an unforgiving, hungry fire.

"O-Oh…" Her head fell, eyes meeting the cold floor as if it was the only thing she knew, the beginning and the ending of her world.

"W-well, that's good, I mean… we knew it would end… I- there was no hope to begin with-" She stopped her mumbling, probably realizing her thoughts were just streaming out in complete disarray.

He said nothing and he watched her run a tanned hand through her red hair. She shook her head, trying to summon what little reason she had left.

"Why are you here?" She said softly, her voice a weak whisper overflowing with pain.

"Look at me." He said, but she didn't lift her head. He extended his hand, long fingers coming to rest on her chin.

"It's not over." At his words her head snapped up.

"W-Wha-" He interrupted her by sealing her lips with his in a tender kiss. Pulling away too soon to his liking he enveloped her in a tight hug.

"I said it's not over."

"B-But-"

"This is my choice! I want to be with you and I won't let anyone control my life. Listen carefully Saya, because this is the last time I'm going to say this, I love you and I'm willing to fight for you."

"If they find out they'll-"

"Don't you want me here?" He stared deep into her eyes in search for a sign of the truth.

"N-No…" She squeaked and he chuckled.

"You are a terrible liar."

"I-I'm serious!" He kissed her with so much passion that she felt her legs fail her. He pushed her lips open and deepened the kiss, making her moan at the feel of his expert tongue teasing her own. He broke off with a smirk adorning his face and rested his forehead on hers.

"If you don't want to be with me I promise you'll never see me again." He said and turned his attention to the slender column of her neck, raining butterfly kisses on the soft skin. She trembled in his embrace painfully refusing her body to move, to respond to him.

Salty tears left glistering tracks down her cheeks and he looked up frowning.

"Wha-" She flung her hands around his neck and sobbed in his shoulder. He closed his arms around her shoulders and let her vent out everything she had bottled up, the anxiousness, the worry, the pain, everything that hid in the shadows behind her glowing smile.

"I-I don't want you to be… k-killed…" He squeezed her tighter to hid body.

"We'll both be fine, I promise." That did nothing to calm the crying girl.

"If they find out they'll kill us both! What we are doing is a crime."

"A crime according to an unfair law." He hissed out and then continued, somehow managing to hold the poison out of his tone."I won't let anyone lay a finger on you I promise." She pulled away from him and glared with a new found light shining in the background of her irises.

"No! Promise me that you won't let them lay a finger on _you_!" He stared at her for a moment before leaning in and slightly pecking her nose.

"Promise." He whispered and his lips sought her own, soft ones.

**Ooooooooooooooooooooooo**

His body felt heavy, every muscle, every joint felt as if it were on fire. He tried to take a breath, but his lungs constricted painfully and he found himself fighting to swallow the bile that had climbed up his throat.

Each desperate breath felt as if it was tearing open the inside of his neck. His stomach churned as a series of tremors wacked his body.

He opened his tired eyes and was met with blurry surroundings, he tried to focus at the best of his ability, but nothing solid ever came to view. His lids fell over his eyes once again as his head started to throb painfully.

It felt like an eternity had passed before he could breathe again. Was it seconds? Or maybe minutes? Either way he couldn't tell…

Taking another chance he revealed his obsidian irises once again and blinked away the fuzzy image. There was a soft light coming from somewhere to his right and a shadow was cast over his still trembling body.

He could feel a slight pressure on his forehead so he looked up. Pink hair fell softly over the tranquil features of the familiar woman.

'Sakura?' He realized her left hand was numbly draped on his forehead while her other hand was captured by his own.

She had fallen asleep while tending to him.

Summoning the last bit of strength he had left he pulled her down on him, she didn't even stir when she collapsed on his chest. Sasuke felt completely drained, as if no energy was left in his cells, he was powerless against the darkness that once again consumed his consciousness and threw him at dreamless slumber.

**Ooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"Are you okay, Arai-sama?" The tall man stood up when said woman entered the room, he eyed her carefully, noting her annoyed frown and her disapproving glare.

"Those idiots got in the way!" She said and he didn't even have to ask whom she was referring to.

"Should I get rid of them?" She glared at him and he backed away.

"If we could do that they would already be dead!" She let out a long breath before continuing. "We can't harm anyone who is not a part of this, remember?" He said nothing as she looked out of the window to the unending horizon adorned with so many colors.

"Arai-sama?"

"He will pay… When all of his memories return I'll make him pay…"

**There you have it! **

**Next chapter is going to be slightly darker… I'm probably going to update next Sunday**

**Until then, please let me know how that one was!**


	11. Poison Kiss

**Ummm… hi?**

**^.^' I know you probably want to kill me… I'm so so sorry!**

**I wasn't satisfied with the chapter so I decided to rewrite it… and then a bunch of things got in the way…**

**Thank you to: **

**Aen Silver Fire**

**Midnight Angel Sakura**

**Wealse-chan**

**LostForever06**

**Sakura 8D**

**And now! Chapter 11: Poison Kiss**

**Let me just warn you that by the end of this chapter you'll probably want to murder me T.T**

The sun showed behind the Hokage Mountain, its proud form casting shadows over the shinobi village. Slipping through the tinniest of cracks the shiny rays chased the darkness away. This eternal chase is the very essence of this world, the reason behind every existence, yet many eyes were averted from the breathtaking spectacle as the dark dome gradually faded to the purest tone of blue. Various shades of pink and orange erupted from beyond the horizon and decorated the sky like a painting of sloppily mixed colors.

The rays of the newborn sun slipped between her sealed lids and the darkness of her sight was tinted in a bright red hue. She groaned softly, her voice still hoarse, experiencing the aftereffects of sleep.

Her mind slowly became more aware of the outside world and soon her senses, having awoken from their slumber, were flooded by the evidence of the new day's arrival. A pleasant smell tickled her nose and she found her half-asleep self moving towards the source of that delicious smell. The comfortable warmth slowly lolled her back to sleep.

Something at the back of her mind called for her attention and kept her from returning to the sanctuary of her dreams. Frowning, she reached for that elusive piece of information that had taken refuge in the darkest corners of her subconscious.

Her eyes flew open, emerald orbs sparkling with shards of worry as the events of the previous night slapped her mind back to reality. However, every sensation filling her head seized as soon as she registered the sight in front of her eyes.

She gulped as she followed the column of snow white skin up to the strong curve of a jaw, slowly her eyes, as if drawn by an unbreakable spell, fell on a pair of enticing lips. Her breathing sped up and her mind fell silent under the resonance of her heartbeat. With a taste of fear in the back of her mouth she traced the pale cheeks until she was met with a sight of a familiar face.

Her breath caught in her throat for what felt like the longest of time. She stayed like that, unmoving, taking in the serene expression on that stunning face.

He looked so relaxed… as if his heart hid no pain, no regret, yet she knew that wasn't the truth. Maybe that's why his sleeping face fascinated her; it felt like she was allowed a glimpse at an alternate universe, where he wasn't submerged in feelings of bitter loneliness, like she got an answer to a torturing, silent 'what if'.

She almost didn't realize it, the small pressure on her waist, because at that moment he was the beginning and the ending of her existence, the alpha and omega of that tiny little thing she called her world. A small movement on her side was all it took to snap her back to herself. Her eyes flew to her waist only to find one muscular, yet lean arm wrapped around it. Throwing a quick glance around the room she located her loudmouthed blond teammate laying on the couch in a very uncomfortable-looking pose.

She panicked; she had fallen asleep next to Sasuke! Surely he wouldn't be too happy if he woke up and the first thing he saw was a blur of messy bubblegum-pink hair. She tried to slip from his grasp, but his hands tightened around her waist, she knew if she moved around too much he would wake up, so what was she supposed to do?

She didn't have much time to ponder about it. He made a strange noise at the back of his throat and her full attention was attracted back to his face. His eyebrows twitched lightly and her heartbeat skyrocketed.

'_No…' _His eyelids fluttered, before lifting to reveal twin black abysses. She froze, unable to think, unable to feel anything but the wild beating of her heart. His gaze scared her, all those emotions it could awake frightened her.

His hot breath fanned her face, dusting her cheeks in a deep red color. His eyes half-lidded, locked right on her, as if piercing her very soul. He came closer to her and she gulped, feeling excitement swirling through her veins. Her eyes widen as she watched his parted lips reach for her own.

A simple inch, an infinitesimally small distance was what separated them. She found it hard to breath, but somehow she felt like oxygen was no longer needed. And just as suddenly as it begun, the moment came to an end. He blinked, a small sense of light returning to his dull orbs.

"S-Sakura?" He said and for once his surprise was evident in his features. He received no reply from the petrified female, so his eyes started to wander. He eyed his surroundings and he stopped to take in their position. Once the sight settled in, he removed his arms from around her waist and jerked back, as far away from her as the wall allowed him to.

She didn't know how she should feel, a mixture of disappointment, hurt and embarrassment flooded her mind and she averted her eyes.

"S-Sorry…" She mumbled as she waited for him to explode, but he made no sound. Even so she couldn't bring herself to look at him, she wanted to ask so many questions, was he feeling okay? What had happened? The list could go on and on.

"What happened?" He asked, pulling her out of her thoughts. She swallowed, willing her voice to come out normal.

"After you… fainted, Kakashi-sensei and Naruto came to help… I told them everything" She trailed off, not sure of her next move. He stared at her with an intensity that should she turn to look at him her breath would be taken away.

His body felt alien, those emotions swirling inside him made every fiber of his being tremble. He heard her talking, but he was unable to grasp the full meaning of her words, because his mind was occupied by that burning sensation running through his every nerve.

He stood up and moved towards her, his mind still surrounded by a dull daze, her head was lowered and her hair fell softly in her face, hiding a pair of twinkling emerald orbs. His hand moved on its own and his fingers were suddenly resting underneath her chin. He lifted her head up allowing their eyes to meet. She was blushing and staring up at him with question.

A loud yawn echoed in the room and Sasuke's hand quickly retreated to his side. The blond stretched his arms and legs while letting out another yawn, completely oblivious to his teammates' distress.

"I'm leaving." The silent Uchiha announced getting up. Alarmed, the pinkette stood up as well, she opened her mouth, but she hesitated unsure of what to say.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto opened his eyes to find said woman staring sadly out of the window.

"Where is teme?"

**Ooooooooooooooooooooo**

He needed time…

Time to ease his contradicting thoughts. He felt like he was losing himself, something inside him had awoken and slowly, yet steadily it overtook his actions. He would never admit it out loud, but there he was, standing confused and _frightened _against his own self.

Then there was Sakura, his teammate and one of his precious people. Ever since his genin days that pink haired woman was someone worth sacrificing himself for, ever since back then that weird habit of his to always protect that certain girl puzzled him. Today he finally realized to what that insignificant habit had escalated. He was no idiot, on the contrary, he was a genius and he couldn't ignore the facts that presented themselves before his eyes.

He knew what he wanted to do, he wanted to feel those candy-colored lips on his, he wanted to pull her closer and closer, until there was nothing left separating them. What his prodigious mind couldn't wrap around was the reason behind that need.

Those weird dreams only added to the commotion inside his head. Who was that girl that so greatly resembled _her_? Those green eyes still lingered in the backstage of his oval lids. The burning of the trails she engraved on his skin with her wondering fingers still teased his nerves. It left him needing for something he couldn't quite out his finger on.

What hid behind the curtain of those dreams was something beyond his understanding and that mere knowledge agitated him to no end.

The day was still young, yet he felt tired, his senses dull, as if submerged underwater. He stared ahead of him and the village of Konoha greeted him with its usual cheerfulness. He sighed and rubbed his temples, his first instinct was to let it all out in a fierce training session, but his sore muscles protested at the mere thought.

So what was left for him to do?

His feet led him to a familiar place. The serene water, the small wooden dock and the feeling of the lukewarm air stroking his cheeks shed rays of nostalgia in his heart. He sat down at the edge, letting his toes graze the surface of the lake, spreading ripples all over the glass-like surface.

And just for the slightest of moments he saw himself in that picturesque image.

**Ooooooooooooooooooooo**

"Arai-sama!" The tall man reached out his arms just as his voice was heard in the dimly lit room. He caught the falling woman seconds before she made contact with the floor and laid her quivering form on the single futon.

"Are you-"

"I'm fine!" She said glaring at him and he recoiled back at his original spot.

"What happened?" He asked again, after allowing some moments to pass.

"Our time is running out." Her unsteady breath attempted to even. "His memories are returning much too slow, I'll have to speed up the procedure."

"A-Are you sure?" She nodded and he knew it had already been decided.

**Ooooooooooooooooooooo**

"Hinata-chaaaaaan!" The blond shrieked, making a certain pale eyed heiress jump in surprise.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Her signature blush made its appearance in record-time and said man stared at the dark red hue that dusted her cheeks fascinated.

"Hinata-chan, I need your help! But you have to keep it a secret." She had to remind herself how to breathe when the loudmouthed shinobi leaned closer to her face and gave her a look that would put any puppy to shame.

"O-Of course, N-Naruto-kun." The midnight haired beauty nodded politely. "What can I do for you?"

"I need your help spying on Teme." He said grinning and Hinata gaped slightly at him.

"So will you help, please… Kakashi-sensei already agreed to take the night shift." He took her right hand in his and squeezed pleadingly. The shy girl could do nothing but nod and try to remain standing.

"Great! You're the best Hinata-chan!" He hugged her tightly and then just as suddenly he let her go.

"YOSHI! Let's-" A faint thud had him looking behind him.

"HINATA?"

**Ooooooooooooooooooooo**

It's been two days since she last saw him. He had been avoiding her, ever since what –almost- happened that day in her room. The pictures that flashed through her mind made her blush and she covered her burning cheeks with her palms. She briefly wondered if that was the reason of his disappearance.

Sighing she slummed her locker shut and grabbed her bag from the nearby chair, another day at the hospital had officially come to an end. She lazily strolled though the long corridor waving to the patients and pausing to chat with some of her coworkers. Things have been quiet lately and everyone in the hospital seemed to be in a good mood.

She took a deep inhale once the cold night breeze hit her face, it was a relatively cold night. The stars were twinkling mischievously in the faraway sky and she spend a couple of moments just admiring what she was sure was one of the most beautiful spectacles this world had to offer.

Memories of when they gazed at the stars together washed over her and she frowned, no matter what she was doing, her thought would always drift to the last Uchiha. At least she knew he was okay, Naruto told her nothing out of the ordinary had happened the last couple of days.

'_Miss him?' _Her hands flew to her head and she clutched her skull as a wave of nausea hit her. Confused she tried to trace the feminine voice all the way to its source.

'_I'll love you forever.' _The same voice echoed inside her head. Voices in her mind were nothing new, she used to have an inner self for crying out loud! Yet this time it felt different. It wasn't Inner Sakura, that part of herself had completely merged with her and disappeared long ago, so what could it be?

'_Hurry!' _It was her own voice, yet it wasn't, she couldn't find the words to describe it. She coughed and a metallic taste invaded her mouth, a few scarlet drops escaped her sealed lips and cascaded down her jaw.

The vision of a woman clad in white appeared in front of her, her long red hair was swept by the wind, dancing like crimson fire. Her eyes glowing green, the mirror image of her own ones. The woman came closer and Sakura felt as if her very soul was being painfully torn in two. She moved away, desperately trying to put some distance between her and the almost transparent form of the beautiful vision.

'_Don't be afraid.' _ The voice echoed in every corner of her mind and she felt as if her ears would bleed at any moment. Her knees came in contact with the rough ground as her hands painfully pulled at her hair.

'_You have to go to him- SAVE HIM! - go…GO!' _The words entangled and overlapped each other creating a chaos of letters, almost impossible to understand.

Her eyes snapped open, the only sound that could be heard was her irregular breathing. She noticed that she was standing in the middle of the street, one of her hands was laid over her rapidly beating heart.

'Just what was that?' Her fingers reached her jaw intent on whipping away the blood, but there was nothing there. The woman's words echoed in her ears.

'Go to him.' She broke into a run, somehow she knew where she had to go. She rushed through the empty streets, without thinking it over. Her destination was now in her line of sight, a three stories apartment building.

She climbed up the stairs and hurriedly knocked her fist on the wooden door. She got no answer, but she refused to leave. Fisting the knob, she rotated her hand hesitantly. The door opened with a click, allowing her access to the dark room, the Uchiwa decorating the wall of the living room greeted her as she entered.

Silently she inspected her surroundings and came to the conclusion that her male teammate was obviously absent, were he home he would have already come out to scream at her for invading his personal space. She inwardly cursed the paranoia that had until now cursed through her system and turned to leave. A loud crashing sound filled her ears and she jerked back, it had come from Sasuke's room. She ran to the direction she knew said room was and slid open the door.

What her eyes saw was something that had her body completely paralyzed.

Sasuke was lying on his bed, shirt discarded and eyes wide open. What socked her though was the woman on top of him. Golden eyes locked on her frame and she watched appalled as a devilish smirk spread on her face.

Sakura felt her heart contract and burst into tiny, colorless pieces as the woman casually threw her hair back and leaned into Sasuke. She hoped with all the shards of her heart that the raven haired man would through her off of him that he would push her away, yet none of this happened.

The woman's hungry lips descended on his and Sakura watched as she forcefully shoved her tongue in the unmoving Uchiha's mouth. She finally found the strength to move, but before she could do anything the woman moved away from Sasuke while whipping her lips with the back of her hand.

Then she disappeared in a cloud of pitch-black fog.

**I think I can feel a deadly aura… **

**Well, umm, I hope this wasn't that bad…**

**I promise to update quicker next time!**

**Until then…**


	12. Dangerous Illusion

**(((o(*****ﾟ****ﾟ*****)o))) You guys! Thank you! I was so surprised by the number of reviews, I think that's a record for this story T^T**

**Aen Silver Fire**

**LadyAizenUchiha**

**Wealse-chan**

**LostForever06**

**Moonwaterpetal**

**Midnight Angel Sakura**

**Sakura 8D**

**hirokiri9 **

**You rock! Now, I don't want to keep you waiting so…**

**Chapter 12: Dangerous Illusion**

"Mou! Kakashi-sansei is late! Again!" The blond shouted, waving his hands vividly in the air at the same time. The midnight haired woman sitting cross-legged on the roof giggled slightly to herself at his childish antics, her usual pink blush dusting her cheeks. Naruto looked at the Hyuga heiress, before sighing and plopping back down next to her with a frown marring his features.

The frown soon faded under the influence of his bubbly personality. The shy beauty watched him without looking at him, which was possible thanks to her activated doujutsu. It was obvious that he was thinking about something, his eyes were narrowed and his face displayed a serious expression.

"Hey, Hinata-chan, do you want to have ramen with me after sensei comes?" He said after a couple of moments, with his voice full of its usual cheerfulness. A wave of dizziness mixed with excitement hit her, but she somehow managed to keep her cool and be reasonable.

"Of course N-Naruto-kun, but I doubt I-Ichiraku's is still open at this time." He scratched the top of his head, a gesture indicating that he was pondering about that new factor.

"Well you can come at my house, I have instant ramen!" This time the poor girl couldn't help but whirl around to face him with her cheeks a brilliant scarlet hue.

"I-I-I d-don't think… I-It's late…"

"Tomorrow then? Come on, Hinata-chan! You've spent the past couple of days helping me out, I have to at least treat you out to ramen!" He said and the familiar heart-warming grin came out to underline his words. She smiled gently while nodding her head, how could she refuse those sea blue eyes?

Her attention was averted to the direction of a certain Uchiha's apartment, something felt off all of the sudden. Dark clouds slowly accumulated above the building and a chilly breeze spread goose bumps in the silky surface of her skin.

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto, noticing the sudden change in her set his palm on her shoulder in a reassuring manner. She didn't blush, it was as if she didn't even notice it for her keen shinobi senses were captivated by the spectacle presenting itself before her wide eyes.

The pitch-black clouds thickened and twisted to form a whirl-like mass just above the head of their fellow Konoha shinobi. Strings of a dark purple substance leaped out from all over the place and swayed slowly, lazily.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto grabbed both of her shoulders and shook her, trying to snap her out of whatever trance she'd sunk in. He followed her eyes and searched, almost desperately, for the reason behind the crease of worry between her dark eyebrows. No matter how many times his eyes swept over the scenery, there was nothing there. A chill run down his spine and only then did he notice the abnormal temperature drop.

'Now what?' He thought as he eyed the petrified female in his arms.

_Naruto be careful._

'Kurama?' The blond exclaimed. The vision of a proud kitsune with orange fur and glowing red eyes formed at the back of his mind, nine tails dancing behind its intimidating form.

_You can't see it, but surely you can sense the darkness looming over you. _The vessel of the demon fox closed his eyes and concentrated on his surroundings. Suddenly, the unearthly cold wasn't the only thing that had him on alert. A demonic aura seemed to overflow his senses.

His eyes snapped open once he located the center of all of those weird sensations; it was too close to Sasuke. That would be his cue to burst forward and by his friend's side. But he had something to do before that, he gathered the midnight haired woman in his embrace and took off, fully intent to get her to safety first.

"Naruto-kun." A slender hand touched his bicep and pushed. He looked down at the slightly shaking female.

"I-I'm fine, you should go to S-Sasuke-san, something weird is going on."

"But-"

"Go, Naruto-kun, Sakura-san is on her way too." The blond future Hokage hesitated, he couldn't just dump her somewhere like that. She smiled a little at his worried expression, before wriggling out of his grasp and landing gracefully on the balls of her feet. She nodded at him and he sighed. His fingers formed a cross in front of his chest and immediately three exact copies of himself exploded to existence.

"Take Hinata-chan to the Hyuga compound." He ordered his clones and they nodded with a determination that could only belong to the knucklehead ninja. With a final glance and a whispered 'thank you' he was off.

He was in front of his best friend's front door in a few minutes, the wooden invention was half opened, allowing a small glimpse of the dark room. He entered with his senses en garde, ready to spot even the slightest disturbance in the still atmosphere. A speck of pink appeared on the corner of his vision and he made a rush to its general direction.

Kunai in hand, he came to a stop a few steps away from the pink haired woman's back. His eyes zeroed on the picture above her head. Teme was laying on his bed sleeping. He put his kunai back in its place and touched the pinkette's shoulder.

"Sakura-chan?" The girl jumped, evidently startled. She turned to face him and he frowned at her expression, it held a mix of sorrow, sadness and relief that she was desperately trying to conceal from his piercing gaze.

"What's wrong?" He asked, immediately turning serious. The demonic aura had disappeared, yet traces of it still lingered. She opened her mouth, but shut it again due to the lack of words.

"Let's have a seat." She said after a couple of silent moments and from her tone he could tell this was going to be one heck of a long night.

**Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oo**

"Shin, are you even listening?" He turned to his left, tired eyes boring into his brother's dark orbs. He grunted while moving his jaw so that it rested against his palm. The other male sighed in aggravation.

"Little brother, you didn't get any sleep last night, did you." Sasuke watched an amused smirk play in his brother's lips. It took him some time to grasp the meaning behind his words though.

"Shut up!" He growled, throwing a pillow that happened to be lying nearby to the now laughing male. Sasuke stared at him in disbelief. That rich sound that filled his ears and traveled straight to his heart, warming his soul, was something he hadn't heard in a long time. He had almost forgotten how much he liked that laughter, how much it made him feel at home.

'This is all a god damn lie, just a dream, nothing more…' He had to remind himself, he didn't want to get caught by the ghosts of what used to be, not again.

"You didn't deny it." The older man pointed out and there was nothing else to do to save his pride, but to cross his arms and grunt.

"Anyway, I should go, you have to have your bandages changed." He pointed to his wounded chest. "Say 'hi' to Saya for me." He turned and made his way to the door. He paused to look one last time at his younger brother.

"And next time be careful, your job as a captain of the army isn't just to give orders, you have to stay alive to prevent a pandemonium too." He said in a serious tone before disappearing in the corridor.

Sasuke sighed, he had no idea what army he was referring to, but he wasn't going to strain his already pulsing head, all he had to do was wait it out. Eventually it would have to end. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing, it was his own way of calming his mind.

A timid cough made his eyes snap open, only to be met with the sight of a very familiar woman. He nodded on acknowledgment and she got in, she eyed him measuring the extent of the damage he managed to acquire. Frowning she made her way to him with large steps. She was mad, he could tell.

"What is that?" She asked none too gently while pointing an accusing finger at his chest. He smirked.

"Shouldn't you know that? What kind of healer are you?" Her eyebrow twitched and he couldn't help the feeling of satisfaction that ran through him.

"I know what that is! What I want to know is _why _you have it!"

"I got slashed by a sword." He said as if it was nothing special and she took a single deep breath. She wanted to hit him that much was clear.

"Worried?" Next thing he knew he was clutching his right shoulder, trying to alleviate the piercing pain. Red obscured his vision and slender arms wrapped around his torso.

"Of course I am, you royal idiot!" He chuckled, maybe he deserved that. He heard her mumble something and immediately a warm sensation sipped in his body repairing the tissue and broken skin. She slipped from his arms and grabbed a ball of white fabric. With quick, yet adept movements she changed his bandages.

"Here." She took a couple of steps back to admire her masterpiece and smiled.

"You are welcome…" She urged, seeing as he remained silent. She shook her head, probably reminding herself who was the person in front of her.

"Come on! Why do you have to act like a jerk?" She whined and casually made herself comfortable at his lap. He stiffened and threw a worried glance around him. Soft fingertips grabbed his jaw.

"Don't worry, no one is coming in." She kissed him so bluntly and passionately that he was completely taken aback. He pushed her back, separating their connected lips.

"That's not like you!" He looked her straight in the eye, searching for an explanation inside those bright green orbs. Something felt… of…

The look she gave him made him feel uneasy, a little voice at the dark corners of his mind had him on edge.

"I just… w-want you…" She said blushing, but she dived straight for his neck. There wasn't much he could do to stop her, the proud and cold man was practically powerless against his only weakness.

"Did you lock?" She nodded and he kissed her back, savoring her taste, her smell, everything about her. She would be his downfall, the feelings she could evoke in him ware all the testament he needed.

He pulled her closer, one hand snaking around her waist while the other coiled around her neck. He would do anything for that woman, he would give his life for those innocent emerald eyes.

A crashing sound reached his ears and he jerked away from his spot. A shaking arm reached to pick up the metallic object.

"I-I'm sorry, I-I d-didn't mean to interrupt." Sasuke stared dumbfounded at the kneeling girl. Her forehead was almost touching the floor and her scarlet hair were cascading down, hiding her face.

'What? H-How…?' One could think his neck would snap with the speed he turned his head around.

" That's what doors are for, you duff slave!" He was frozen, for the woman that spoke those words, the woman that stood so close to him didn't have emerald eyes nor did she have that silky red hair he loved to run his fingers through. Instead her eyes held a merciless, golden hue. What on earth was going on? He could have sworn that-

"Excuse me, i-it won't happen again." She stood up as fast as she could and practically ran from the room. But her moves were not fast enough for him not to catch the look of hurt she gave him. Her retreating figure was an image that burned itself on his mind, awakening emotions of raw anger.

"What the fuck did you do?" He shouted grabbing the brunette and pushing her harshly against the wall.

"What do you mean?" The scared mask she had on disgusted him.

"I'll have you know I'm no idiot! Now tell me what you did!" The air around her changed, she smirked and freed herself from him.

"What did I do? How about what you have been doing? Sneaking out to meet that pathetic little girl while you should-"

"Shut up!" Who does she think she is? What right does she have to judge him?

'Whatever.' He had no time to waste on that excuse of a woman, he had to find Saya, he had to explain, or at least try to explain because even he wasn't sure of what exactly had transpired.

"If you go after her, the whole palace will find out about you." He completely halted his movements.

'NO!' That would be a disaster, _that_ he mustn't allow to happen.

"Unless you stop _seeing _her and start acting like you are supposed to, she will be executed."

_No… _His vision faded to black.

_No! _He felt as if electricity was tearing his soul apart.

_NO! _Everything but his screaming voice was lost in a bottomless dark abyss.

**Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oo**

"Come on Sakura-chaaaaan, I know there is more!" He was done telling her about how he got here and she just blurted out some lame explanation about black fog and that woman knocking the bastard unconscious. How stupid did she think he was? Not even worry could justify the defeated expression she had on. Then again this was Sakura-chan, such strange a person.

And he was Uzumaki Naruto, his determination could change even the laws of nature, he was definitely going to find out what really bothered her! Well, that was his plan until his demonic and inconceivably late sensei decided to make his appearance.

"You. Are. Late." He growled out instead of screaming like he usually did.

"Gomen, destiny knocked me out of schedule." The enigmatic jonin scratched the back of his head.

"LIAR!" This time he screeched causing a certain pinkette to punch him to silence. The older male sweat-dropped. 'Why does no one believe me?' He coughed, trying to gain his students' attention.

"This time that's the truth. I have something you need to see." He was successful and two pairs of eyes locked on him.

"What is it sensei?" A woman's voice rang, breaking the silence.

"Take a look at that." He said while pulling an old, tattered book. The black leather of the hard cover had faded to a dull, almost ash-like color and it was torn at the edges. He flipped the pages until he located the desired page. He set the book down so both of his students could have a clear view. They eyed the paper for some time with questioning eyes, before Naruto decided to speak up.

"Why is Teme on a book?"

**There you go!**

**Next chapter should clear thing up, a bit..**

**I hope you enjoyed it! ^.^ (if you did please let me know)**

**I think I should go to bed now though; I'm just one step away from sleepwalking xD**

**Until next chapter!**


	13. Edo

**Umm, hi? ^.^'**

**I know I've been terribly late… I'm so sorry… This chapter gave me some serious trouble and on top of that I've been super busy lately…**

**This chapter is longer than the rest and it will explain many things. I'll try to keep the length at that.**

**Thank you so much**

**LadyAizenUchiha**

**Sakura 8D**

**Aen Silver Fire**

**Midnight Angel Sakura**

**LostForever06**

**LilyOfTheValley: **I'll try to make the chapters longer, hopefully this one is better ^.^

**Chapter 13: Edo**

"Why is Teme on a book?" The blond asked, pointing an accusing finger at the book that appeared to be mere moments away from crumbling to a pile of dust on the floor. The older man scratched the back of his head before reverting to his serious persona.

"That's one question I can't answer, but you should read the text." Two pairs of questioning glances, belonging to no other but two of his precious students, focused on him. The pink haired woman was the first to break eye contact, she picked up the leather covered mass of paper and carefully traced every little detail of the source of their surprise with sharp emerald eyes.

Proud mountains overruled the top part of the page, small touches of white paint indicated a blanket of snow cascading from each summit. A river tore the scenery in two, the indications of the flowing of its gurgling waters had long since faded, but ribbons of some weird red substance could be clearly seen swaying to the rhythm of the stream.

Her eyes glued to the center of the picture, the grass had been painted the color of blood. Bodies of men, probably soldiers, were lying on the ground, all sorts of swords and spears protruding from various places.

Over at the other side of the page the atmosphere appeared completely different. People were dancing and celebrating their apparent victory. And there in the middle of the commotion, drawn with vivid colors and riding a black horse was the reason of their distress.

His skin was the same pale tone, littered with specks of crimson. His hair was significantly longer, falling in its usual spiky style on his back. An aura of power and glory cling to him, making him stand out from the rest of the figures.

Her eyes fell to the title just above the picture. _'Prince Shin of Edo' _was written in fine calligraphy, the figures made of dark ink danced around her mind, unable to fully sink in.

'_Shin…?' _The name she could vaguely recall… she gasped when the memory hit her. _'Shin!' _The same guy in _that _vision, there was no doubt about it! The picture that formed in the backstage of her memory was identical with the one in front of her eyes.

"Sensei… What is this? Where did you get it?" She practically begged for answers, but the feelings currently cascading her body left her with no other choice. The silver haired jonin sighed, allowing a glimpse of his own confusion escape through the material of his mask.

"I found the book in the restricted section of the library, it was laying on the ground opened at that exact page, so I took it." The blond decided to pipe in.

"Isn't that forbidden?" The older man just gave a nod, apparently he wasn't in the mood to provide them with an answer. He eyed the book for a moment before continuing.

"From what I've read, I can only assume that this book is one of the scarce sources we have about the 'Dark Years'."

"The Dark Years?" The pinkette asked, emerald eyes wide. She received a firm nod from her long-time teacher.

"Ano sa… What are you talking about?" Naruto looked perplexed at his teammates.

"'Dark Years' is a term that refers to the time period before the appearance of the Sage of the Six Paths. Not much is known about that times, only that it was a period of constant war, empires rose and set, that's about it." He threw a pointed look at the old mass of paper resting in the pinkette's hands.

"That book is extremely rare, which is probably why it was at the restricted area, it holds the history of the 'Edo', one of the greatest empires to appear back then."

'_H-History!?' _Was this supposed to be a history book of some sorts? Then, why…? How…? Her subconscious cried out, but its screams were drown by the hands of her rationality. Her body felt numb, her fingertips tingled, desperately calling out for some blood to alleviate their pain. Her petrified self lost all connections to the outside world.

It felt as if they had just opened a box of secrets and what came flooding out was too much for any of them to handle. She felt like she was going to go blind by what she was about to witness; a truth beyond her existence, a faraway horizon beyond her mind's reach.

A not so soft growl shook her back to reality, tearing the heavy trance that had fallen over her like a thick blanket obscuring her senses. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight that greeted her. The Uchiha was entangled in the sheets, his sweat-covered body thrashing around, as if fighting a deadly enemy that was overpowering him.

"No!" He all but screamed and tears gathered in her eyes, she barely managed to balance them on the edge of her lower lid. A broken cry… one that was heard all the way to her heart, it left imprints on the sensitive organ.

Instinctively she rushed to his side and held his hand, ignoring the knowing glances she received from the other two males in the room. A hand on her shoulder, an understanding gray eye.

"There is nothing you could have done." Of course he knew, Kakashi always had an outstanding ability of knowing the shadows that lingered inside his student's hearts. She smiled and nodded half-heartedly.

"Kakashi-sensei… I want to read that book… I want to know more…" She whispered, but she knew he heard her. He hesitated a bit before nodding in defeat, he could practically feel the danger looming over their heads, but they were all proud Konoha shinobi they could handle it together.

**Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Heavy eyelids blinked open, the rays of the sun slipped between the thick, dark lashes all the way to the dark irises, they were painful, like expertly sharpened knives. Sasuke made an attempt to growl at the insufferable feeling, but what came out was a trembling sound of a hoarse voice.

He gritted his teeth and pushed his lips in a straight line as his stomach made a flip and a foul taste invaded his mouth. He swallowed, trying to bring some moisture back to his dry throat. He stood up, trying to ignore the spinning world around him, his shaky feet barely managed to hold him up. He stood like that, with his hand against the wall until the feelings subsided. Sighing he made his way to the bathroom to take a much needed shower.

The warm water tracing his body eased his stiff muscles and awoke his conscious mind. What had happened? He could vaguely remember what transpired the day before.

He clearly remembered returning home after a –surprisingly- not that intense training session. He was awfully tired so he skipped lunch, showered and went straight to bed. However he didn't have the chance to sleep, the bell of his apartment prevented him from doing so. What had happened after that?

Sakura… she had come over, hadn't she? His memories started to get blurry from then on. He remembered being aggravated, but somehow she managed to convince him to let her stay for a while. He frowned, the crease between his eyebrows deepening, the water had long since turned cold, but he didn't notice, but even if he had he wouldn't care.

There were too many gaps in between, but at some point they ended up… kissing? At that point his shut eyes snapped open, disbelief written in bold all over the dark irises. Emotions he couldn't identify burst inside him, igniting his every nerve, a fiery storm so familiar yet so alien.

He tried to push the images out of his head. What on earth had he done? Was he finally loosing the sanity he had fought so hard to keep? How else could he justify what was going on with him?

He pushed his mind even harder, he had to remember what happened after that. His temples felt as if they would explode and he fell on one knee. Gold… golden eyes and a vague sense of shocked, sad emerald orbs.

He grabbed the towel closest to him and absentmindedly secured it around his waist. Mechanically he rubbed another towel against his drenched skull as he exited the bathroom and walked to his closet.

On his way there though, he stumbled upon an unknown object, a very pink unknown object. To his utter surprise there lay no other than Haruno Sakura herself. She was curled on the floor, using her jacket as a makeshift pillow and one of his blankets to keep herself warm. He also noticed she held a black book tightly to her chest.

She moaned softly as she began to stir, she revealed her eyes, the beautiful green orbs caught him off guard.

"Sasuke-kun?" She mumbled still under the influence of sleep. She gulped and blushed as she eyed him, her peculiar expression making him feel uneasy.

"Sakura?" He questioned, refusing to let anything other than a questioning tone be heard in his voice, why was she here? What had happened after that… kiss?

She seemed to snap out of whatever was that clouded her thoughts, she shook her head, sending pink locks flying in every possible direction, before locking her eyes on his.

"Sasuke-kun, you are awake!" She jumped to her feet, but the sudden movement made her lose her balance. He caught her by her wrist just as her body bended backwards. She straightened up and mumbled a sorry, her movements were awkward and she stubbornly evaded eye contact, he noted.

"Why were you sleeping on the floor?" He tried again, seeing as she made no attempt to give any explanation herself. He felt her tense.

"W-Well, you see-"

"OI TEME! You're awAAAKE!" There was no doubt about the owner of that obnoxious voice. How could the idiot be that damn loud in the morning? That was something the Uchiha would never understand.

"Can't you be quite for once in your life, dobe?" Sasuke turned around to glare at the blond, who looked terrified at him. Said blond made a dash for the only female in the room and laced his fingers in front of her eyes.

"Put some clothes on!" He screeched making his raven haired teammate winch at the loudness of his voice.

"Oh, what a strange sight to walk in upon!" A mass of silver hair appeared from the kitchen, grin evident, even behind the black mask. Sasuke felt his eyebrow twitch. Why were those idiots in his house again?

He moved to his closet and retrieved his usual outfit, he made sure to glare at his visitors before shutting the door behind him.

**Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"Hm, so they found it, huh?" The woman said to herself running her fingers over the smooth surface of the glass sphere.

"I don't understand… the book itself is a valuable treasure, but aside from that, why give them such a clue?" The tall man sitting cross-legged next to her asked quietly, as if fearing her reaction.

"It will speed up the process." She said and after a moment of thought she added. "Besides, it's going to make things a lot more interesting, seeing them feel for the truth as it slips from their grasps…" She chuckled.

"Unless you have some fun, eternity is never going to pass. You should know that by now, Baku."

**Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"Great!" Sakura exclaimed as she shut the door of her apartment, she took a moment to calm her erratic breathing before plopping to the couch and burying her face into her pillow. It was still too early, a glance towards the clock told her it was seven thirty, which meant she had two hours to sleep. She sighed, it was better not to sleep at all. She grabbed her bag and pulled out the old book, somehow they managed to keep its existence secret from the dark haired Uchiha; they all had agreed that the young man had one too many matters to solve.

The thought of the ex-missing nin caused her cheeks to turn a fair shade of pink. The awkwardness in the air around them was so thick she could have sworn it could be cut with a knife. She dared not reveal what she saw in her other teammates and even Sasuke himself didn't seem to remember, that or he really didn't want to talk about it.

After thinking it over she came to the conclusion that her reaction was rush and unjust. After all, she had no way of knowing whether or not the calm and collected Uchiha held an active role to the whole ordeal. She had seen it before, that woman had some really weird powers, so it was possible that she somehow immobilized him to kiss him.

Thinking about it only caused her more distress, so with a sigh she decided to drop it. She picked up the book and opened it at the first page. Her eyes trailed over the paper taking in the bold letters.

Apparently, Edo started as the collaboration of five clans and its original goal was the protection of all the clans' members. It became well known when they started to take over auspicious territory. The first Ruler was decided by a series of fierce one to one fights between the strongest of each of the five clans. After the rise of the first Ruler, the elders decided on the rules that would constitute the pact.

She flipped the page to find a list of the 'Sacred Rules' as they were named. All members of the five clans, without exceptions, had to oblige to the orders of the ruler, as long as they were not detrimental to any of the clans. Major decisions would be made by the Ruler and a council of ten representatives. The duty of each Ruler was to safeguard the safety and harmonic cohabitation of the clans, secondary duties would be enlisted by the council based on the current circumstances. She summarized the first five rules and stored them in her mind.

The title of the Ruler, that was later changed to Emperor, was hereditary and passed down to the older son of the royal family. Before the coronation, the continuation of the royal line had to be insured, meaning the prince himself or the second in line had to be married. The maiden would be decided in concert by the members of the council. The heir had to be protected and nourished to exceed in all aspects. That pact had to be signed with the blood of the clans' heads.

She gathered the meaning in those complex Kanji and memorized it. So that was the birth of Edo. According to the side note that pact was revised and lengthened several times throughout the years, but the basic rules remained the same. Her fingers turned the page and she found a picture of the ritual, the signing of the pact to be precise.

She threw a glance at her clock and sighed, it was already time to get ready. She walked to her room and grabbed a pair of towels, a hot bath was just what she needed right now.

Half an hour later she was ready to go. It was a nice day, albeit a little cold. She greeted many people on her way to the hospital; it had become a daily routine of hers. Had she not known any better, she would have thought everything was back to normal.

She entered the gates of the hospital and headed straight for the reception to receive some files, only to be met with her blond best friend.

"Ino?" Said woman stood up straight and waved vigorously.

"Forehead! You look terrible!" Sakura's eyebrow twitched, but she chose to let it go.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm filling in for Emi, what about you?"

"I work here." Ino laughed.

"No you don't, not today anyway. Hokage-sama has a mission for team seven, you should already be at her office." The pinkette gaped for a moment before her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"And why was I not informed?"

"Ummm, I might have forgotten to send someone to inform you…" The bond took small steps back with every word, while observing the fuming medic.

"Pig…" She said through gritted teeth, she turned around and stormed out of the hospital.

"Oi! Forehead, don't forget once you get back we'll go shopping!" The blond shouted, earning some annoyed glances.

**Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

"Sakura burst through the doors of the Hokage's office to come face to face with an annoyed blond woman and the questioning eyes of her teammates. She was late, really late and the proof was the silver haired jonin standing in front of the wooden structure pilled with papers.

"Sumimasen, Shisou." She mumbled while bowing. Unconsciously she searched for those coal eyes, but he didn't even spare her one glance, if she hadn't known any better, she would have thought he was oblivious of her entry. She gulped and silently closed the door, before coming to stand next to Naruto.

"As I was saying-" The busty woman paused, eyeing her pupil. "After the war people have started building new villages. Your mission is to go to one of those villages and help them with whatever they need. You'll receive a scroll from Shizune with the exact details. You leave tomorrow at sunrise. Dismissed." Sakura knew that she should be more focused on what they were required to do, but her eyes wouldn't badge from the tall form of the dark Uchiha.

She knew he could fell her stare, but he just wouldn't look at her. Kakashi poof-ed out of the room after telling them to meet him at the gates and the whole team made its way out. She expected the loudmouthed blond to drag them for ramen, but he hurriedly walked past them.

"No ramen today?" She teased and watched as a blush found its way onto his cheeks.

"I'm going with Hinata-chan, want to come?" He asked and she couldn't hold back a laugh.

"No, hurry up, don't make her wait!" She waved him away and snickered to herself. He may still be as dense as ever, but at least there was some progress. And that's how she was left alone with her dark haired teammate. She wanted to talk to him, but his cold attitude chopped up whatever confidence she had managed to gather.

"Sasuke-kun…" She whispered, she wasn't sure what she was going to say next, but she wanted to lock eyes with him, she couldn't read him, but she wanted to try and search for an answer.

"Hn." He hesitated and her heart skipped a beat, why wouldn't he face her?

"I-Is everything all right?" She stuttered.

"Aa." Their current situation reminded her of when the War ended, he was cold, filled with guilt and regret and at the same time with flaming anger and she was lost, unsure of herself.

He turned around and shivers run down her spine, the look he gave her, it was something she couldn't comprehend, something she was afraid of and yet something she ached for from the bottom of her heart.

He poof-ed away, leaving her standing there with her lips half opened and her eyes wide.

**Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

She reached her house, walking in a daze. How should she feel? She felt hurt, she felt confused and tired, so very tired. Entering her bathroom and splashed her face with cold water. She looked at the mirror, pink hair, green eyes, a familiar image. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, dark circled decorated those green orbs and a pulsing headache completed the image of her sleepless self.

It was still too early to fall asleep, but she had a mission tomorrow and she already was dead tired. She changed out of her clothes and pulled on her fresh washed, warm nightclothes.

'_Sakura…' _She jerked her head up and immediately fell on a fighting stance.

"I really need some sleep…" She murmured as she realized that no one was there. Exhaustion must have slipped into her brain.

'_I'm here!' _Her head pounded and strands of bubblegum hair begun swirling around as if enticed by the transparent wind.

'_SAKURA!' _Hair as red as fire itself and eyes as green as an untouched forest. The woman stood in front of her with her hands folded on top of her chest concentrated on an unheard prayer.

Pain, sorrow and regret written over those emerald orbs, it was so familiar it hurt. One tanned, slender hand reached for her.

_Help me _It came out of rosy lips, a plea, desperate, drowning.

Her vision swayed, lights danced at the corners of her eyes like a scattered kaleidoscope. She tried to maintain eye contact, but that feeling as if her soul was tearing in two was too much to take.

Her world got dark, her reason took of somewhere in her deepest dreams.

The hand disappeared and with it the unearthly form it belonged to. She felt empty, as if the single, most important part of her was missing. So what was left of her?

Every sense of her faded, every coherent thought was silenced and she fell, deep into a pit of darkness.

**Yeah, that's it… I hope it was good…**

**I know I can't ask for reviews, but if you do review I'd be so happy!**

**Merry Christmas to you all, have fun and enjoy this wonderful time of the year!**

**Until next time…..**


	14. Mission

**Konbanwa! **

**How are you all doing? I hope you've had much fun at Christmas and I wish you all a 'happy 2013!' (I know it's a little late, but a wish is a wish right? ;P)**

**Thank you so much to:**

**Aen Silver Fire**

**LadyAizenUchiha**

**Sakura 8D**

**hirokiri9**

**Midnight Angel Sakura**

**LostForever06**

**Seriously guys thank you, I know last chapter was unforgivably late, but you were still there and I truly appreciate that ^_^**

**This chapter… hmm… not much action here, but it is necessary. I hope you still like it, though… Oh, and before I forget, I literally suck at Geography (Naruto geography, normal geography, you name it… T.T) So, I formally apologize in case something seems off…**

**Chapter 14: Mission **

Everything was dark, she felt like she was floating. Her body wouldn't respond to her in any way, her mind was surrounded by a hazy fog. No sound could be heard, even her own breathing was something forgotten. Sinking painlessly, regrettably in a sea of nothingness.

A strong smell invaded her whole essence, making her darkness shift and her mind spin. Rays of blinding light penetrated her darkened vision and the pitch-black dome she'd lost herself in shattered in tiny, sharp shards.

The smell made her sick, she hated it. She tried to wriggle around, to move, but she couldn't summon any of her strength. A voice echoed in her mind, a familiar voice… Was that her name? Suddenly she became painfully aware of every part of her body. Her head throbbed, sending waves of discomfort throughout every inch of her body. Her throat felt dry, burning with the need of alleviation. Her stomach gave one painful flip as someone shook her gently.

"Are you okay?" Someone asked with worry evident in his voice. She growled, letting everything she was currently feeling be heard through her voice. She tried to open her eyes and flinched at the blur that greeted her.

Her stomach twisted in knots and her first instinct was to make a dash for the bathroom, but just as she swung her legs and tried to stand, strong arms found their way to her shoulders and pushed her back down. She tried to free herself, but she soon discovered that it was futile.

"Calm down." She did as asked and took in deep breaths, frowning each time she had to swallow back a bile. Slowly, she was able to calm down, the hands holding her down, linking her to reality lifted and she tried once again to face the world.

She lifted herself to the level of her elbows and peeked around. She was lying on her couch with a blanket covering her. She tested her legs and found it okay to stand, unfortunately for her, her balance was still way off and consequently she found herself falling.

She watched as the floor rushed up to meet her, but before she got the chance to greet it appropriately strong arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her up against what felt like a man's chest. She swallowed before looking over her shoulder.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" Indeed there he stood, leaning slightly over her in a protective way. She gulped, only now did she realize his body heat sipping through her body, his scent nagging at her nose. He held her tightly, allowing her no escape. His dark eyes were hidden under strands of equally dark hair, he licked his lips and then, as if being violently awoken from a captivating dream, he jerked away from her.

The signs of his close presence faded and she stared at his retreating back, failing to realize the fact that he held her for a little longer than needed.

"You coming?" He said with a hint of anger in his voice. She arched a questioning eyebrow before screeching. _The mission! _She mumbled a quick apology before rushing to her room to grab what she branded necessary.

When she came out she was surprised to see the last Uchiha still waiting for her, leaning against the wall in his usual pose. He didn't acknowledge her presence, he just walked towards the exit and she followed suit in silence.

They reached the gates in what felt like a decade, during their walk she kept stealing glances at him, but not once did she catch him staring back, she knew though, he was more than aware of her eyes on him. She was surprised at the sight that greeted her, a hyperactive Naruto blabbing animatedly to a smiling Jugo.

"Sakura-channnnn! Teme!" The blond greeted while waving vigorously. The orange haired male turned to their direction and offered a kind smile.

" Sasuke, Sakura-san." He greeted. The male next to her grunted, but she chose to reply with a bright grin accompanied by a 'good morning'.

"So, will you be coming too, Jugo?" She received a nod in return. That would be her first mission with the silent giant, she mused. Jugo was the only one of Sasuke's former teammates that chose to follow him to Konoha and the pinkette immediately took a liking to his sweet and caring personality.

At first the orange haired male would always hang around the moody Uchiha, but after the first few months of his probation he became more daring. The cheery and homey atmosphere along with the help of the Hokage did good on his sudden personality-change issues. She could still feel his uneasiness when around unknown people, though.

They all made themselves comfortable, leaning against the gates as they waited for the last part of the team to arrive. Surprisingly, or maybe not, considering how late the pinkette herself arrived, the elite Jonin showed up with a laud poof minutes later.

"Yo!" Even after all those years his entry remained unchanged. So did her and Naruto's daily routine.

"LIAR!" They screamed, before the copy-nin had a chance to blurt one of his usual unorthodox excuses. He scratched the back of his head, messing his already rebellious hair. He would never admit it to those students of his, but their little ritual meant the world to him. Especially after the death of his dearest and last living ex-teammate.

After exchanging a few words they took off, their forms disappearing, blending in with the vast greenery.

The experienced Jonin lead the way, followed closely by Sasuke and Jugo. Sakura had fallen back along with Naruto so she could escape a certain someone's presence. She smirked and wiggled her eyebrows at the blond.

"So how did your date go?" The loudmouthed ninja choked on the same air he breathed and looked at his chuckling teammate with an astonished look.

"W-What date?" The pinkette couldn't believe her eyes. Not only did the lousy male stutter, but he blushed a nice shade of vermillion as well. Naruto's peculiar behavior attracted the attention of all the other males, raised eyebrow, enigmatic smirks and questioning eyes zeroed on the poor blond, demanding details.

"A-Ano…" It was rare indeed, to witness the nine tails' vessel be left with no words. In the end he started complaining about how that was nothing like a date, but more like two friends enjoying the divine taste of ramen.

The pinkette laughed a little before deciding to give the clueless male a break, she would have another chance to question anyway. Her foot slipped lightly and her heart froze when she lost her balance.

"Are you okay Sakura-san?" Jugo, who happened to be the one closest to her at that time caught her and balanced her on the tree branch.

"I'm fine, Jugo-san, I was just careless." She said, not being completely honest. Electricity crawled up her spine as she felt a dark gaze scan her whole body. She gulped but urged the team to keep moving.

"So what's our mission?" She asked. Kakashi pulled out the scroll he'd received the other day from Shizune and summarized its contents.

"It's a relatively easy mission near the borders with Oto no Kuni. Basically you Sakura are to organize the local hospital and the rest of us will help with the construction and with some thugs that have been invading the village for quite some time." Everyone was paying their full attention to the team captain, noting every little detail even though it was pretty simple.

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to Oto?" It was Jugo that asked the question. Oto was one big part of his and Sasuke's life and with their probation and all the other things going on in their lives they weren't exactly informed about international relationships.

"Oto is in a tricky situation. It was already bad when Sasuke killed Orochimaru, but after the war things went downhill. Nowadays, Oto is a poor, unlawful country and the refuge of missing nins. The Kage's are still meeting over what they should do about it. The people we are helping are mostly stock-breeders and farmers that used to live in Oto, due to the current state of the country, though they asked for permission to relocate to Hi no Kuni." Everyone, or at least almost everyone nodded at the additional information, after the victory of the Shinobi Forces things like that happened more often than not.

**...::::::::(!)::::::::...**

The team reached the village by the time the sun touched the summit of the green painted mountains. Even with the map the small mass of houses was hard to locate, the reason being the vast forest that encircled the village in a protective manner. A single building seemed to overshadow the rest, it was four stories high and freshly painted white. Lower, mostly traditional styled wooden buildings were scattered around, seemingly in an irregular pattern.

Tree trunks and big rocks littered the streets, or at least what would later be the streets. With their guards up they walked forward in search of someone to ask for directions. The only sound that could be heard was that of their own feet hitting the rough ground.

"This place is creepy." The blond spoke up, winching at the loudness of his voice contrasting with the eerie silence that had fallen over the village like a veil. The soft, almost romantic shadows of the dawn had evolved into hungry, pitch black abysses. A small creak had them all on edge, they followed the sound to a barely opened window, a single brown eye peeked from inside at the unnamed foreigners.

"OI! Can we talk to you?" The loudmouthed Konoha shinobi exclaimed none too silently. There was no reaction from the other person and Naruto prepared to give it another try, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"We are from Konoha." Said Kakashi pointing to his forehead where the shiny forehead protector with the infamous symbol of the leaf shinobi proudly rested. The brown eye turned wide, little sparks appearing in the chocolate colored irises.

The window was shut closed and a few moments later the door of the house flew open revealing a short girl, around ten, with brown hair held in a bun on top of her head and warm brown orbs. She grinned at them while waving vigorously.

"Come in!" Her voice echoed with excitement dripping of each word. Sharing a look they decided to enter the house. Just as the silver haired Jonin stepped into the house a woman rushed down the stairs and grabbed the young girl.

"Hikari! I told you not to open to anyone!" The old woman turned fearful eyes to the Konoha shinobi and opened her mouth to speak, but she found herself unable to do so. Seeing her hesitation Kakashi decided pipe in. He held one hand up and the other buried itself into the mob of silver hair.

"Sorry to disturb you at such an hour. We are the team send from Konoha to help the village." He watched as the woman left a heavy sigh of relief that seemed to wash away the tension of her muscles. "I am the team leader, Hatake Kakashi. Could you help us find the local inn? According to the map it's somewhere around here." The woman stood straight, releasing the girl dubbed as 'Hikari' from her tight grip.

"There is no inn in this village, at least not yet, but this is where you'll stay. I am Amano Yori, yoroshiku onegai shimasu." She bowed deeply and Kakashi checked the scroll to confirm the name. He nodded to the ninjas patiently waiting outside and they all walked in.

"Uzumaki Naruto, next Hokage!" The blond gave them a grin worthy of the sun itself.

"Haruno Sakura, thank you for having us." The pinkette bowed politely and motioned for the next guy to come in.

"J-Jugo…" The gentle giant bowed awkwardly and came to stand next to Naruto.

"Hn." A small nod was all he was willing to give. "Uchiha Sasuke." He grunted out after receiving some glares courtesy of his teammates. He didn't miss how her eyes widened for a moment, nor the way her posture turned defensive, but he let it slide, it was nothing he wasn't used to.

His name, especially to those who lived in Oto, was equal to danger and fear. It was the same when he first stepped foot in Konoha, everyone looked at him as if he would just draw his sword and slaughter them all cold-blood. It took time, patience and a loudmouthed idiot of a blond friend for some people to stop trembling at the sight of him.

Lady Hokage and the rest of his team, even the newest additions to it, were a big help too, they are those to whom he owns his sanity, those who pulled him back to his feet when even he himself didn't want to get up.

"Hikari, take them to their rooms." She ordered and the girl grabbed Sakura's hand and pulled her along, while the other woman shut and double-locked the door.

"We have only three rooms available, I hope you don't mind..." She whispered, but the pinkette's keen ears picked it up.

"No, we don't mind at all." She said as they climbed up the stairs. They found themselves at the middle of a narrow corridor with five wooden doors decorating its length.

"Those are the rooms, the first one on the left is my room and the one at the end is the bathroom."

"So then, Sakura, you'll take one room and the rest of us will share." The Jonin said.

"Then, Sakura-san, you should take the one next to mine, it's for only one person anyway." She pointed to the corresponding door.

"Well, then, how about I share with Naruto and Sasuke with Jugo?" No one objected.

"I'll prepare the futons then." The girl said and disappeared somewhere downstairs. The Konoha shinobi exchanged some looks and they silently agreed to keep their guard up. They all had questions, but that would have to wait until morning.

Sakura entered her assigned room and grinned. The futon was already laid neatly in the middle of the room and a quite impressive collection of stuffed animals was in display all around it. No wonder she was to sleep in here, it was difficult to imagine any of the boys buried under those pink covers.

She set her things near her head and slipped most of her weapons off her body. She didn't remove the senbons hidden under her skirt though. She pulled out her nigh clothes and changed into them.

"Do you like it?" She turned around to face Hikari who watched her from behind the half opened door.

"Yes." The girl grinned, obviously pleased.

"The others have already settled, would you like anything else?" She prepared to shake her head, but after a second's thought she nodded.

"There are some things I want to ask you." The brunette seemed taken aback for a moment, but she quickly pulled herself together and nodded. She entered and made herself comfortable on the tatami.

"What are you all afraid of so much?" She asked and the preteen lowered her eyes.

"The attacks from Oto have become more frequent and more violent. They have also started abducting people lately… So when night comes everyone locks themselves into their homes and just wait until morning." The pink haired medic nodded, if things were that bad, it was no wonder Lady Hokage appointed five shinobi to take care of it.

"W-Will you help us?" A timid voice asked and Sakura couldn't help but smile.

"Of course!" She said and she meant every word of it.

"W-Will you also find my s-sister?" Sakura blinked, confused.

"Your sister?"

"Nee-chan disappeared four days ago, w-we couldn't find her…" Her brown orbs were obscured by tears and Sakura felt her heart clench. If the poor girl was taken, then after four whole days there wasn't much to hope for. Nevertheless, she couldn't just leave the poor girl like that. She ruffled her hair lightly.

"We'll try our best." That accompanied with her sweet smile apparently were enough for the girl in front of her.

"Arigatou!" She said and stood up. "Goodnight, Sakura-nee!" Sakura waved back and lay down just as the door shut with an almost inaudible thump. She brought her hand up to rub her temples, a habit she picked up from her Shisou. A little light sneaked into the dark room from the blind, it landed softly on her face, illuminating the porcelain skin and striking features.

She reached to her discarded weapon's holder, grabbed a kunai and pulled it under her pillow. Sleep overcame her soon after.

**...::::::::(!)::::::::...**

Next morning came too soon to her liking, she rubbed her eyes, trying to rid herself of the remnants of sleep. Like a feline she stretched her arms and legs after kicking the blankets off of her body. Satisfied she stood up and stretched a little more, it was a bad habit of hers. Some pretty loud cracks later and she finally felt ready for the possibly tiring day that lay on ahead.

Her hands slowly fell to the hem of her baggy shirt and she pulled it over her head, she shivered as she was left only with a thin-strap T-shirt that barely reached her belly button. She hooked her fingers on the dark fabric, forcing it up as well.

Someone coughed from behind her and to her outmost terror she jerked around to meet the amused eyes of no other than Uchiha Sasuke, quickly she dragged her T-shirt back over her body.

He was leaning against the wall, as if he had no care in the world, one eyebrow raised high enough to hide under the black silk of his hair and signature smirk in place, albeit seeming a little wider.

Her arm reflexively flew over her body and she leaned forward, desperately fighting to hide as much of exposed skin as possible.

"Sasuke-kun!" She shrieked in horror, but he seemed unfazed. She grabbed the nearest piece of clothing she could find, turned around and hurriedly put it on. When she faced him again she was glaring at him with blazing eyes, even though the vermillion blush taking over her whole face prevented her from getting the desired emotion across.

"How long have you been standing there?" She was embarrassed, but what bothered him was the fact that he was enjoying it, the feelings shining behind the emerald of her eyes and the blush dedicated to him.

He wasn't sure why she was reacting like that; it wasn't like he saw something he wasn't supposed to have seen. Besides, the two of them had been much _closer _than that and she seemed perfectly fine with it.

That was the reason he had been avoiding her as much as humanly possible, after all, their heated _session, _for the lack of a better word, elicited something inside him that he didn't know how to tame, hell, he didn't even know how to name it, the only thing he now knows for sure is that it's overpowering him, his presence there being enough proof.

Even though he decided to cut their interaction down to the absolute minimum, his body, his everything leads him back to her. It's frustrating, really, it was is as if no matter the path he chose to follow she would always stand there with her hypnotizing eyes and her warm smile, her caring touch…

She raised her eyebrow and he realized he had been staring at her intensely. He wanted to confront her, but the words appeared to always get caught in his throat, something he thought was impossible to happen to him.

He walked and came to tower over her, like a predator cornering the innocent prey. He wasn't a man of words, so he would let his actions carry on the unspoken questions and the confusion burning him on the inside.

She kept staring up at him, unable to utter a word, unable to move. He leaned down, carefully watching her reaction and noting every single detail. His lips were inches away from her own plum ones, when his hand came to rest on the column of her neck.

Her pulse was running out of control under his cold touch and the red on her cheeks didn't retreat. That alien feeling that had been haunting him roared to life once again, it clawed on the inside of his chest, wanting, demanding.

She took one step away from him and raised a hand to calm her frantically beating heart.

'_COWARD!' _A voice echoed painfully from the depths of her mind and she couldn't help but agree. Why? After all those years of waiting, of hurting, of _hoping! _Why did she back down? She was stunned to silence, she feared his reaction, she was scared out of her mind that she had forever lost her chance with him. She chuckled dryly inside, wasn't she the one who told herself she only sought his friendship?

Meanwhile the proud Uchiha was at a loss himself, surprisingly not at the same reason the pink haired girl in front of him, but at his own actions. Maybe he should have tried talking to her, instead of getting himself at this mess.

"Why do you react like that?" She gave him a defeated look.

"I'm s-sorry… I-I-" She took a deep breath. "I chickened out, okay? It was too sudden…" She said not able to look at him at the eye. He raised a question eyebrow.

"If I recall correctly, you were fine with it the other day." His voice came out annoyed and she snapped up to meet his eyes.

"Eh?" She smacked herself inwardly, but that was the best comeback she could come up with at the given moment.

"Hn. What exactly happened back then?" He mumbled at this point beyond caring about what she would think of him. Why did he care in the first place?

"B-Back when?" Was she for real? He glared at her, only to find no trace of lies in her sparkling eyes. He sighed, that conversation was seriously weighting down on him. Words… troublesome masses of inky characters…

"Three days ago, when you barged into my apartment and _that _happened." There! He said it, now since he was kind enough to put it into words, she better answer his damn question.

Her mouth hung open… _'that' _obviously referred to kissing… Now… Three days ago? What happened three days ago? She had that weird vision… and then she rushed to his apartment… and found _her _on top of him, practically kissing him unconscious…

The pieces itched to be placed together and she knew the answer was millimeters out of her grasp.

"We… nothing happened… I mean, i-it wasn't me who you-" She started, the words coming out in messed up sentences.

"OI! Teme, what is taking you that damn long? Wake up Sakura-chan and come on! " A voice called from downstairs and broke the heavy atmosphere in countless, unforgiving pieces.

"We'll talk about it later." He commanded and she nodded numbly, her mind was lost in the million scenarios circling around it. He left and she just stood there, eyes locked with the absolute nothingness so intently one would think she expected it to give her all the answers she needed.

Shaking her head she stored the thoughts in her subconscious. She had work to do, she would deal with Sasuke later, his exit promised of a very tiring and awkward situation and she groaned. What was with her and getting caught in misunderstandings with the male Uchiha?

She quickly got dressed and descended the stairs to greet her team. Green locked with coal and she forced down a shudder.

**...::::::::(!)::::::::...**

Man, did her head hurt! She hadn't even reached the hospital yet and she felt exhausted beyond belief! She had to hold it together though, she was the Hokage's apprentice and one of Konoha's best medics, failure, even at the slightest detail, was not an option.

She raised her face to the building in front of her, the same building that caught her eye when they first reached the village. She passed through the wide open gates and came face to face with what she guessed was the whole staff, all lined up in front of her.

She bowed slightly and introduced herself, as her manners instructed her to. A woman shyly stepped forward and followed Sakura's example.

"I'm Kazuki Makako, head of this hospital. Thank you for coming." She stood up and smiled in a gentle way.

"All of them are either staff, or volunteers helping out. They wanted to come and greet you as a way of showing their gratitude, Haruno-sama." Sakura was taken aback, but in a good way, maybe, just _maybe _today wouldn't be that bad after all…

"How about we show you around?" The woman offered and Sakura nodded happily.

"Of course! Thank you." The staff all bowed and turned back to their corresponding work.

"Haruno-sama, most of us, excluding maybe a handful of people and myself are not experienced medics-"

"Don't worry, I'm aware of your situation. My first priority would be to organize a system that would enable the hospital work flawlessly, after that, meaning probably tomorrow I will start training the medics. Of course it is impossible to teach them everything over the course of one week, but Hokage-same will send another team of capable medics to take over from where I left off. My job is to pave the way for them to the best of my abilities." She said with a voice never wavering, her objective was clear, her goal was set and she was going to achieve it no matter what!

**That's it for this chapter, sorry, Sasuke probably came out a little awkward, he and his stuck up personality gave me a killer headache… -.-'**

**Next chapter is going to be way better… **

**Excluding A/N this one is around 4.251 words, I'm still having trouble to find the ideal length… If you have any suggestions, they would be really appreciated.**

**I think that's all… Well, until next time!**


	15. Shards of a Broken Mask

**Hehe ^.^' … Ummmm… Hi?**

**I know, I know! You have every right to be mad at me, but this time I can explain! I had exams! **_**Unexpected **_**exams, I only found out about them 3 days before they started and and I had a couple of strokes and a heart attack at the same time and and have been buried under piles of books ever since and and… *sigh* you get the point…**

**I'll stop mumbling now and move on with the 'Thank you's**

**Sakura 8D**

**Aen Silver Fire**

**hirokiri9**

**Midnight Angel Sakura**

**LostForever06**

**Chapter 15: Shards of a Broken Mask.**

Their pink haired teammate had already departed, leaving the boys decide on a plan to locate the enemies' hideout. The first and maybe most important step of their plan was to gather information.

They split up in groups of two and questioned the villagers. Apparently those bandits were a problem for many months, but lately the severity of the situation had escalated to the point of villagers being kidnapped. Kakashi had asked of the leader to prepare a list of all the missing people as soon as possible.

Their enemy usually strikes when night falls, that meant they would have to patrol the streets at night to protect the people and hopefully get a hold of someone that could lead them to their target.

However, until then they just couldn't sit still, so they decided to scout the surrounding area to see what they could find to help them form a picture of what they were up against.

"So, now that we have a plan, it's time to set out. Naruto you'll stay here today-"

"BUT SENSEI!" Kakashi cut the energetic blond off, with the raise of his hand.

"You and your clones would accomplice that task faster than any of us would." He said with his unusual serious tone silencing any protest resting on Naruto's lips.

"Sasuke, you'll scout the area from above and Jugo, see if you can have the animals help us." He finished before pulling a kunai and making a small cut on his thumb. A series of handsigns later a pack of well trained ninken poofed into existence in front of the trio.

"We meet here in three hours; should you find anything, use the wireless radio to contact the others." The two males nodded stiffly and watched as the silver haired man flew off and blended in with the vast greenery.

Sasuke followed his sensei's example and summoned one of his giant hawks. Light brown wings spread wide, the creature soared with his head reaching for the sky. The Uchiha landed soundlessly onto the proud animal's back. He glanced at the gentle giant briefly as his summon rode the unruly wind and then focused on his current goal.

"Man! Why do I have to miss out on the fun part?" The blond whined, earning himself an awkward half-smile.

"Kakashi-san thought it best." He said apologetically and Naruto sighed.

"I know, but I could have left a bunch of clones here and still have more than enough chakra to enter sage mode! Baa-chan should have assigned us with a harder mission!" The self-proclaimed, as of now, rokudaime Hokage exclaimed in exasperation.

"Kakashi-san probably had you stay behind in case of an enemy invasion. As for the mission, I think it's the best we can get considering we are still genin." Ah! 'Genin' a word that always compelled Naruto to huff. Sasuke, Jugo and even himself were still genin, which, in his humble opinion, sounded ridiculous to begin with!

But it couldn't be helped. After the war, Tsunade had offered him the place of chuunin and he would probably be a jonin by now, had he had accepted. The reason he let that opportunity slip from the confinement of his clenched fist was simple enough. Although lady Hokage wished to promote both him and the brooding Uchiha, Konoha society wouldn't allow a traitor to be treated with such lenience. So Naruto decided he would take the chuunin exams along with the dark haired male.

Jugo waved as he walked away, leaving him standing in the middle of the dirt road. He shrugged in defeat and raised his hands, forming the familiar sign resembling a cross with his fingers. Copies of him popped out from everywhere startling the few villagers that saw the scene.

'This is going to be one long day…' He mused.

**...::::::::(!)::::::::...**

Sasuke observed the mass of green with his sharingan. It had already been two hours and he found absolutely nothing, neither foreign chakra signatures nor anything that could serve as a hideout. The fact that the rest of the group had no luck either only made his mood darken.

He still had about an hour until the meeting time and he considered of continuing his search from the ground. The orders he received from the captain clearly stated that he was to search for any sort of hideout while making a rough map of the area. However, he had already completed these tasks, he could either proceed further to the mountains and risk being spotted –assuming of course there was someone to spot him, or drop down and dust his tracking skills.

He decided on the second option, the mountains were Jugo's responsibility anyway. He gathered the scroll he had laid on the hawk's back and stored it to the pocket of his pants. He let the summoning jutsu fade and the animal disappeared, leaving him free falling.

He gathered chakra to his feet to soften his landing and pulled out a couple of kunai with strings attached to them. As soon as he found himself amongst the tree branches he threw the kunai and held tightly to the strings. His feet made contact with the ground and he pushed against it and rolled, a perfect landing considering the height of his fall.

He glanced around him and decided to head north, thus making a half-circle kind of route back to the village. He shoved his hand in his pockets and followed the path to his destination, while carefully observing the untouched nature for any sign of human presence.

He caught the remnants of his sensei's chakra, the traces were faint which probably meant the silver haired man was far away by now. He kept walking. A slight breeze tousled his hair, the cold made his skin crawl, he didn't think much of it, it was not uncommon considering the time of the year.

But the cold hand of the wind turned freezing, merciless. Some leaves, enticed by wind's intoxicating rhythm, swirled around his form as if being attracted by his unmoving posture.

"Long time no see." His sharingan immediately fell on her body carelessly lying on a thick branch and his eyes narrowed to twin ominous slits. She pouted.

"Is that how you greet an old friend?" She chuckled, playing innocent and his blood suddenly felt like crimson lava, cascading, _igniting_ his whole being. Fury tagged at his fingertips and they responded by gluing to the hilt of the famous Kusanagi.

The taunting smile died on her lips and she pushed herself off the tree, long brown hair spread above her head like a fan as she spun midair to land on her feet, with a grace that rivaled that of a feline's.

"I just came here to test something." He unsheathed his sword and locked his dangerous eyes on her, glaring with all the anger and hate he could muster. She just laughed.

"Do you seriously think you can harm _me_? I thought you were a genius, Shin." She lifted her finger and sent a rock flying his way, he, in turn evaded the painful hit by quickly moving to the left. Her golden eyes stared right into his blood red orbs, it was rare to see someone treat the sharingan as if it was mere decoration.

"I don't care! Just know that I won't let you get away without some answers." She smirked at him, a challenge meant to have him on edge.

"As if you could stop me-" His sword glistened, sending a blinding ray of light crashing to the irises of her eyes. Using his lightning speed he found himself inches from her in a matter of mere nanoseconds. He slashed forward, fully intent to make her unable to move. She didn't move and his sword pierced her stomach, immediately he jumped back to land a few meters away from her.

"Not bad." She said as she stared down on her wound. Sasuke stared dumbfounded. Not only did she seem unfazed by the deep cut, but she moved with no difficulty whatsoever as well. His eyes quickly fell on her exposed abdomen, a thick almost black liquid oozed out of the broken skin, it resembled ink more than blood. He clutched his sword, the hair on the back of his neck stood as if trying to warn them in their own way.

"There is no way to kill me; you should have figured it out by now." She passed her hand over her stomach and the skin healed.

"What are you?" His eyes were wide, he readied his sword, this time he would aim for a vital point.

"I told you, I just came here to do a little test." She pulled out a small knife and raised her hand. "Don't move" she muttered and he felt his body go rigid. Once again he was caught in her weird power. She came closer to him and held the knife right next to his left bicep.

He saw her grin before thrusting the knife forward. He would have missed it, had his eyes not be special, a mere moment before the cold metal made contact with his flesh, her muscles contracted violently and a few drops of the weird blood were sent flying. The knife froze midair inches away from his arm.

What was it that stopped her? Something prevented her from executing the attack, but what?

"Not yet, you are not back yet." She whispered and took a few steps back. He shut his eyes and willed his muscles to move, just a little more, a little more power…

He felt those heavy chains snap, freedom washed over his body and he wasted no time, he charged straight for his enemy. She seemed surprised, even if that was for just a moment. Wicked laughter filled his ears.

" So close…" She said while evading the deadly blade. She waved at him as she faded to thin air. Panting he fell on one knee, only now did he realize what his stunt took out of him.

A glance at the sun told him the others must already be back and with a groan he realized he would have to hurry, or else a bunch of annoying Konoha shinobi would rifle the whole forest in their search for him.

As he hopped his way to the village his mind raced way faster than his body ever could. How did she find him? What was her goal? What was he to do? Questions just kept drifting across his mind, but not a single one of them had an answer. One thing was for sure, that person couldn't be human…

**...::::::::(!)::::::::...**

Sakura banged her head against the fine, wooden material of the white desk. Organizing a hospital was not an easy task, all day she had been sorting through files, filling papers, signing and all those boring things that everyone wanted to avoid, but unfortunately couldn't.

The reception was ready to function and so was the library that would later host the history files of all the cases treated. Furthermore she had assigned which floor would host what case. The green area, stationed in the first floor would deal with emergencies and primary care. The second floor, alas the orange area, would host the secondary care and last but not least the red area would host the tertiary care.

Her next priority was to assess the medics; it would be unthinkable to shut down the hospital, so whatever progress she was to do with the medical stuff would have to run parallel to the daily routine of their jobs. So she would have to position everyone, at least temporally and construct a _very _detailed and well-thought program.

That was the reason behind the mountain of papers, currently concealing her whole frame from the eyes of anyone that dared enter.

"Haruno-sama?" The pinkette raised her head and tiredly stared at the short woman.

"Makako-san." She nodded as a sign for said person to enter.

"Is there something you need?"

"Yes, I would like the hospital regulation to be handed to the stuff and also to let them know that I will announce everything about the program tomorrow morning." She ended her sentence with a polite smile, hoping the elder woman wouldn't feel offended by the tone of her response.

Thankfully, the woman only bowed and advised her to call it a day and get some rest, which, by the way, sounded so good to her buzzing ears. She decided she would deal with the rest of the pain called bureaucracy under the comforting warmth of her blankets.

**...::::::::(!)::::::::...**

She threw another look at the clock resting tauntingly on the pastel-pink wall. How long has she been cooped up in here? Did the others return? She sighed and rubbed her pounding temples. Complex Kanji danced inside her mind, as if the long hours she spent bend over those papers had left imprints of ink on her eyes.

She stood and moved to the bathroom to wash her face with cold, refreshing water. How long has it been since the last time Hikari-chan came to check on her? She grinned inwardly. That child was the sweetest thing! She would shyly, even stealthily enter the room holding either a glass or a plate with something for her to eat. She must be asleep by now, she mused.

The girl appeared to be pretty interested in the medical field and Sakura couldn't help but promise to teach her the basics of first aid when she got time.

She took a towel that was hanging nearby and dried her skin, water always made her feel renewed, it took some of her exhaustion away. She exited the bathroom and closed the door behind her, but she never took the next step.

Uchiha Sasuke stood with one of his legs propped against the wall, wearing a mask of indifference. She froze for a moment, it's not like she didn't know he would be here, but still, the look on his eyes unnerved her.

He pushed himself away from the wall and headed to her room, she followed, silently, worriedly. After the door was shut his abyss orbs locked on her own, emerald ones. He was expecting her to talk, he wouldn't ask for it though. She gulped, the words died in her throat.

"What happened back then?" How long did she stay unmoving? She couldn't tell, but for the Uchiha to open his mouth, it must have been long.

"Well… I finished with my shift at the hospital and I decided to… check on you." The sole Uchiha raised an eyebrow, whether it was on question, or on amusement she couldn't tell.

"When I got there, there was something weird about the place and I rushed in and…" How could she put the next part into words without making things awkward? She had no idea and to top it off, the man in front of her didn't like to be kept waiting nor would he provide her with any sort of comfort.

"And I found you making out with that woman." Had that been any other time she would be amused at the sight of his dumbfounded self, his eyes were wide, wider than she had ever seen them be, and his mouth hang open just slightly. Yep, Uchiha Sasuke was surprised.

And amidst the chaos of his convoluted mind she found a moment to enjoy his distress, she was right, he didn't kiss her on his own free will. She smiled, momentarily forgetting about the now seething male.

"You think that's funny?" Yet again she crashed back into reality in a rather ungraceful fashion.

"N-No… Ummm, I just… zoned out for a moment…" He grunted, but his remaining anger didn't vanish.

"Anything else?" She gulped, should she tell him? Or better yet show him? She bit her lip, maybe she could gain some more time to make up her mind.

"Before that, what's your version of the story?" Sasuke looked away from her and she instantly forgot about her earlier thoughts. That's right; he did say something about her having no trouble kissing him… Intrigued was a feeble word to describe her current situation.

She leaned forward in a desperate attempt to have a peak at his pale face, but he wouldn't allow her a glimpse of his weakness. He grunted and moved away from her while crossing his arms on top of his torso; a defensive pose.

"That's none of your business." He said, the sound sharpened as it whistled past the barrier of his clenched teeth. She would let it slide, his mood allowed her no other option.

"T-There is also…" She paused, she was going to show him the _book_. The book that remained nothing but a puzzle, a torment to her common sense. She walked slowly, calmly, her body betraying nothing of her inner feelings. She found herself standing in front of her small, light brown backpack. She raised her hand.

_No!_

The same hand was now on her forehead.

'What was…?' She shrugged, it must have been her own hesitation playing tricks on her. Sasuke's observant eyes didn't miss the action and his crossed arms disentangled.

She reached for her backpack once again.

_NO! YOU MUSTN'T!_

Her head gave a powerful pang and her world constricted in various shapes, the colors mixed, creating a canvas of sloppily mixed neon. Her arms, her legs, she couldn't feel them anymore. Something was pulling her and she embraced it, unable to do anything to break its hold. It took what felt like an eternity for her to finally realize that, that great, unbeatable force was Earth itself; gravity.

Suddenly, the hold was broken, replaced by a comforting, warm feeling, the touch of a helping hand. Focusing her eyes on the dark form in front of her, its features became clear; dark abysses of eyes, pale, almost snowy skin and soft black hair that fell on his face like weightless feathers.

"Sasuke-kun?" She mumbled, as her hand came to rest on his cheek. In her dazed state she couldn't comprehend his immediate tensing.

Sasuke felt every single muscle on his body tense to the point of pain. He studied her features, her oh-so-soft features. His eyes turned from charcoal to deadly crimson without him realizing. A familiar feeling washed over his body.

The warmth of her on the palms of his hands, the soft tickling of her hair on his skin, the feeling of his blood setting his body on fire and making him feel like he was on the brick of his human nature. Her eyes, like magnets, pulled him to his sweetest downfall, his lyric defeat, catharsis.

Those feelings were weird; he could feel them engraved on his heart, on his mind, on his very soul. For those few moments he was someone else, not a dark avenger, not even a shinobi, but a man who wanted one thing and one thing alone.

He leaned in, she didn't seem to protest, he placed a small kiss on her lips, soft, thoughtful. He wanted to pull away, he couldn't, he was beyond his self, beyond his pride, sunken in something inside him he didn't know existed.

He locked his lips against her soft, sweet ones. Slowly, yet passionately he moved and she followed with equal vigor. The slow pecks quickly turned more demanding and without thinking it over his tongue was found teasing her lips, coaxing them into revealing a wholly new sensation.

He had zero experience in kissing, yet with her it felt so natural, so easy as if they had shared a thousand kisses. Everything was so familiar it scared him, those moments, filled with nothing but the two of them felt vital, life giving, but at the same time they were an unconscious reaction; in a way, similar to the oxygen in his lungs.

From that point on time was something forgotten, from then on both lost their link to reality.

Burning trails engraved by wandering fingers.

Touches igniting, turning everything to ashes.

Moans, delirious talking.

Kisses and desperate breaths.

All lost, sacrifices to the altar of passion. The only thing remaining was raw, swirling emotion, clashing and interlocking of souls.

_Release me…_

Sakura jerked away. Sasuke too, was brought crashing into reality when he realized the pinkette's move. With the Uchiha on top of her, shirt discarded and thrown somewhere in the room, they lied petrified, frozen by the sheer weight of what they had just done. Breathless, but not daring to take a breath, clueless, yet not daring to seek answers.

The lone Uchiha was the first to move; he stood up and stumbled on his first two steps backwards. She tried to stand as well, but a sitting position was all her body allowed her to accomplice.

"I-I… I should go…" His voice was hoarse, thick, trembling and cracking, the evidence of his inner turmoil. She didn't notice it, she couldn't notice anything anymore, but her own heart bruising the inside of her chest.

He retreated to the confines of his room, to pick up the pieces of his shuttered mask, to put the shackles back over his emotions. And she stayed there, unmoving, staring at a place far away, a place she searched for answers.

With her body moving mechanically she lied on the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. Emerald eyes stared straight ahead, an empty, lifeless gaze.

She fell calm, much too calm, numb even! But somewhere deep inside her she knew that that calmness was only the aftershock of what happened and soon enough the onslaught of memories would begin, exactly like the battle inside her head.

**...::::::::(!)::::::::...**

'_**Finally, I have awakened… Arai… let us put an end on this!'**_

**...::::::::(!)::::::::...**

**Man! I feel like I just came back from the dead! Although, unfortunately, those damn exams are not over yet T0T..**

**Next chapter will shed light into many mysteries. It will probably be up by next Saturday, but since I'll still have exams, I'm not a 100% sure. After those exams though, I'll have a brake of two weeks and I'll be free to concentrate completely on this story ^.^**

**Again, I'm so so sorry! *bows head in shame* **


	16. Saya and Sakura

**Konbanwa! (Good evening… at least it is evening here ^.^)**

**Although I'm still a tad late, I somehow managed to finish this. (I'm telling you! Anatomy is evil o.o)**

**Thank you so much:**

**Sakura 8D**

**Midnight Angel Sakura**

**LostForever06**

**hirokiri9 **

**For supporting me even after that heck of a delay ^.^'**

**So, this chapter is more of a huge explanation, but I still hope you enjoy it. **

**And without further ado….**

**Chapter 16: Saya and Sakura**

How long has it been? Days? Hours? Or maybe mere moments?

The anesthesia flowing through her veins still wouldn't go away. Her mind was numb, maybe even more than her body was, no thought dared make itself known. Silence, that eerie silence was deafening, its echo painful enough to kill her very voice.

Flashback, his lips on hers, a weak heartbeat, the birth of chaos. She blinked once, trying to pull her real self from under the rumples of her brain. Her head fall to her left, where his discarded shirt lay taunting her, daring her to cross that fine red line separating truth from dream.

Velvet darkness, a vague feeling on her fingertips. The feeling of nothingness and that of her own pulse mixing, twisting, was everything she knew. The sound of a single transparent tear meeting its end and splashing into a thousand shards of colorless feelings echoed deep into her mind.

_Why are you crying? _Another tear, another painful stab in her heart. She tried to shift, but her body was bound.

_Where are you? _She asked almost desperately, the only thing on her mind was to ease the pain of that creature that kept weeping in sorrow.

A sob broke her out of her invisible cuffs and she reached for its source, to her surprise her worried ears traced the sound's path all the way to her own chest. A salty taste filled her mouth.

_Tears? _The reason hiding behind the spilling liquid was lost somewhere in her subconscious and no matter how much she searched she was unable to find it. She turned to her side and curled into a ball, hugging her knees as close to her as humanly possible, trying and failing to trap some of the rapidly diminishing warmth.

'_Sakura!' _Her own voice overflowed inside her and she clutched her ears. The echo crushed her walls and left her defenseless against something she couldn't comprehend.

'_Don't be afraid.' _Kindly and softly spoken words. A hand appeared in front of her, slightly tanned fingers spreading, like an expertly painted fan, in a welcoming gesture. Still something held her back, the salvation offered to her at that moment felt too far away for her to grasp without getting lost.

'_Trust me.' _She knew she could, but was she brave enough? Let it be confidence, let it be bravery, she didn't care, but suddenly something bloomed inside her chest, something carrying the color of burning fire.

She grasped the hand and held it tightly, for all she was worth. Her senses went blank; she could perceive neither black nor white and she briefly wandered if that was the color of nothingness.

But she kept holding on, on to that warm and understanding hand.

…**:::::::::(!):::::::::…**

The next time she opened her eyes there was no darkness to greet her, on the contrary, a bright white light made her eyes narrow to slits. She pushed herself on her elbows to inspect her surroundings. A field, grass and the light blue sky. Unspectacular and even worse; unfamiliar.

"You are awake at last!" She whirled around to face the person owning that cheerful voice. She gaped.

"Y-You…" She pointed a slender finger at the grinning woman as she tried to process the sight in front of her very eyes.

"W-Who…?" That wasn't the question she had in mind, but then again, her mind seemed unwilling to cooperate with her. The red haired woman sat in front of her and her eyes locked with hers. Bright emerald orbs, twins of her own ones, glinted with something unclear.

"I'm you." She said casually and Sakura froze. Unable to comprehend a single thing, her mouth fell open in a desperate, silent scream as something inside her tore in two.

"I don't have much time. You don't have to say anything, just watch, I'll tell you a little story." The red haired woman raised her hand and the environment blurred and warped. Sakura's lids covered her eyes as a reflex to the sudden brightness.

As they opened again she found herself standing in the middle of a busy street. Merchants shouting, trying to capture the attention of the passersby, kids were laughing and running around.

"That is the place I grew up in, the kingdom of Edo. What you are seeing now is the market a few months before the War. At that time I was appointed as the healer of the royal family. It was then that I first met Shin, that's how it all begun." She took Sakura's hand and begun dragging her across the river of humans.

"Our relationship was, at first, nothing but a formality. I only thought of him as a cold, arrogant pig." She paused to grin. "But then one day…"

The picture changed again and the two of them found themselves in a dimly lit room. Emerald eyes, adorned by thick red lashes, were narrowed and focused on the form of a painfully breathing _Shin_.

"A war broke out and Shin, as the second son of the King, was forced to take up the role of the Commander of the Army. It was too sudden and he barely had time to ready himself. That night, after the first battle, his brother brought him to me. He was in critical condition, bloody and hardly breathing. I tried my best and ultimately his life was saved, but he still suffered from high fever for over a week." She nodded to the direction of the scene currently unfolding.

"_Saya…" The male mumbled, his head falling to the left with a tired, defeated sigh. His eyes were closed, small drops of sweat littered the pale skin of his forehead, a few of them, unable to withstand the power of gravity, slid against the heated flesh, all the way to the proud curve of his neck._

_The young woman left a tired breath and grabbed the white cloth soaking nearby. She removed all excess water with her expert hands and tentatively placed it on the unconscious man's forehead. She left her palm linger as she fought against her dropping lids. Slowly losing the battle, her body leaned forward. A hand came to rest on her shoulder._

"_I'll take it from here." Surprised at the gentle voice, she whirled around to meet its owner._

"_Prince!" She stuttered and fell on the floor in a respectful bow._

"_No need for that." His voice was soft, but the underlying dominion had her bolting up immediately. He smiled and shook his head._

"_Go rest, you've done enough for my younger brother." She opened her mouth to object, but his stare cut her off before she could even utter a word. She bowed once again and made to leave. She didn't get far though, something curled around her wrist and prevented her from taking another step. Hearing the older man chuckle loudly, curious eyes zeroed in on her lower arm, where slim, stubborn fingers had hooked tightly._

_She tried pulling her arm to herself, but was unable to break the vice like grip. Just when she was about to huff in aggravation, the pale hand suddenly pulled her forward, causing her to land awkwardly and to her utter humiliation on top of a toned, _unclothed_, chest. Sweat begun accumulating on her brow and she risked a glance at the probably fuming prince._

_To her surprise she found the powerful male looking quite amused and she had to arch an eyebrow. Wasn't he at least… disgusted by the sight of a _slave _so close to his dear brother?_

_As if reading her thoughts he chuckled and threw her a pointed look. _

"_I'll leave my idiotic brother to you." He said before his form became one with the shadows of the outside world. And so the poor little girl was left alone in a very embarrassing pose. Sighing she turned to meet the face of her troublesome patient._

"_You know, for an unconscious man you sure have a lot of strength." And she would consider it a small victory of hers, the fact that he couldn't conceal the smirk that spread on his face._

"From then on we gradually became closer, until… well… you know…" She blushed and mumbled something to herself before turning to face the stunned pinkette. She softly placed her hand on her shoulder.

"I know you must be going through a shock and I wish I could alleviate your pain a little, but I have to move on, please, at least try to focus."She received a hesitant nod, the first reaction she had managed to elicit so far. Grinning she patted Sakura's shoulder.

"I knew you were a strong girl, so, should I go on?"

"P-Please do." She spoke softly but it was enough for the red head to open her mouth once again.

"It took us long enough, but as I said, we eventually became a couple. Thinking back to those days, I still can't wrap my mind around it! You know, I was a slave and in the Kingdom of Edo slaves were worth just a little more than objects, at least to loyalty. I was lucky enough to meet prince Ryuta, he was kind and very thoughtful, he taught me the importance of human life. He was a pacifist and a respected man even beyond Edo, the perfect future King." Dark clouds fell over her bright irises and a sad smile graced her lips.

"I still can't forgive myself for what I did to him." Her left hand came to rest on her elbow, unconsciously trying to offer some comfort.

"What do you mean?" The pinkette asked carefully.

"In a sense, I took his dear brother away from him…" She trailed off…

Sakura opened her mouth, probably to ask another question, but the other woman wouldn't allow it, she cut her off with her raised palm.

"I got carried away, sorry, this is not what I came here to tell you."

"Then why are you here?" The pinkette asked, feeling her confidence shipping back into her body. Saya, albeit surprised, raised her hand and the vision disappeared, leaving them standing on what felt like a huge, pure white sphere.

"I'm here to help you save Sasuke." Sakura's eyes widen as the newly found information sunk in. The red head sat down and crossed her legs, motioning her pink haired counterpart to do the same.

"Arai was the woman Shin was supposed to marry. As the second in line for the crown, he was compelled into marriage before his brother's coronation. According to our law, his wife was to be decided by the King and his council. Arai was the princess of an adversary nation."

"Shin and I decided to stop seeing each other after his wedding, yet things didn't go according to plan." She took in a deep, almost unsteady breath before continuing. "I'll explain later why I cannot tell you what happened. The point though, is that after she died, Arai's soul could not rest and thus she decided to extract her revenge against Shin and I."

"But-"

"Please don't interrupt me." She said with an air of finality.

"As I said earlier, I'm you, as in your past self and as you have probably already figured out, Sasuke is the reincarnation of Shin."

"That's-"

"Unbelievable? Yes. But look inside you and you'll know that's true. What did you feel when you first met Sasuke? What do you feel now? If you search deep into your feelings you'll find your connection runs much deeper than you thought. I would know, we are the same person after all…"

"Anyway, you must be wondering why did Arai show up now, right? Well, it's really hard to put into words, but I'll give it a try. Time, as in seconds, minutes, years is something humans invented for their own convenience, however time is just a series of moments. Who is standing in front of you right now? Where are you right now? What do you feel right now? What she did was to somehow break that series of moments and insert herself into the present timeline."

"You must also be wondering if she wanted revenge that much why she hasn't attacked anyone, at least physically, yet. That's because she is still weak. See, if it was that easy to intervene with time, chaos would ensue. People wouldn't be able to tell if what was right in front of their eyes was the past, the present or the future. Since you are a doctor, think of it as something similar to the human homeostasis; just like the body regulates its internal environment to maintain a stable, constant condition of properties, time has a variety of mechanisms to keep moments from overlapping each other." She paused to risk a glance at the pinkette and cringed slightly.

"To make a long story short, she has absolutely no power in your present. By lurking in the shadows, she tried to by enough time until she gathered the necessary power to evoke Sasuke's dreams. She may have no way to hurt you or Sasuke in her current state, but that would change the moment your memories of your long forgotten past would resurface."

"So since you-"

"Exactly, now that I've revealed myself to you, you'll have to be more careful. I tried to conceal my presence, but I cannot fool her for long."

"Is Shin also… ummm… communicating with Sasuke?"

"No and he probably never will. Back in Edo, Shin was a warrior, Arai and I were different. We could both manipulate our Ki at will. Ki is very close to what you refer to as chakra, it means 'life energy' or 'energy flow' and it can be used in various ways. I mainly used it for healing purposes. That ability of ours is what enables us to go against time."

"And that's why you are the only one who can stop her?" The red head shook her head.

"I cannot stop her."

"B-but you said-"

"Don't forget; I don't exist. I'm just bits and pieces of memories, a fragment of you … you can even call me an afterimage, but that doesn't change the fact that I only have a form inside if you. Don't think about it too much, the only thing you can get from it is a _killer _headache, trust me… What I meant earlier was that I'm going to help you stop her." She pointed a slender finger at the gaping female.

"But you said you can go against time, isn't that similar to Arai?"

"I can only do that to a certain degree and that is appearing in front of you, before you have actually regained all of your memories as Saya. Earlier I said that Arai's soul was unable to rest."

"I just don't get it!" Yelled the pinkette, clutching her already throbbing head.

"You are not supposed to get it! Hell, even I don't get it and I'm the one who's deeper into it."

"Aren't we the same person?"

…

"Let's just… not go there." Saya stood up and dusted her skirt.

"Where are you going?"

"My time is up and you have to wake up, unless you want your friends to worry."

"Won't you tell me what to do? And what happened to cause this… this mess?"

"If you want to know what happened, you should ask Sasuke, his dreams are snippets of Shin's memories. I cannot reveal anything more, or you'll be helpless against Arai, at your situation consider ignorance equal to bliss. I'll try to teach you how to Ki manipulation by the time Shin awakens." Her form slowly disappeared, molding right into the white background.

_Oh, I forgot… That book you found was a trick of hers; I suggest you burn it as soon as possible. Don't read it! I'll know if you do._

And just like that the echo of her voice faded to small unintelligible murmurs.

…**:::::::::(!):::::::::…**

Sakura opened her eyes slowly, painfully. The first thing she registered was that every single square inch of her body hurt. Her head was under the spell of an unbearable migraine, almost numb from the sheer pain.

A sickening taste was swirling inside her mouth, savaging her taste buds. With great difficulty she lifted one arm to have it rest on top of her pounding forehead. She hissed at the contact.

"Oi! Sakura-chaannnnn!" Her nerves protested as consecutive streams of electrical current run them through as a consequence of her blond teammate's _shrieking _voice.

"Are you okay?" He said as he entered the room and inspected her suffering self. She gathered whatever power she had left and turned to stare at the self-proclaimed Rokudaime.

"I'm fine." She hissed, unintentionally, with her eyes narrowed to twin emerald slits due to the strong daylight.

"O-Okay… umm… don't you have to go to the hospital ?" Sakura threw a glance at the nearby clock and cursed under her breath. She mumbled a 'thank you' to the blond before grabbing her clothes and disappearing into the bathroom.

She had a quick shower and changed into her set of clothes. She brushed her teeth and pulled her hair into a messy ponytail.

After one last check at the mirror, she headed to her room to grab some painkillers to ease her migraine. There she found a frowning Naruto inspecting a bundle of dark material. When he heard her footsteps he turned to face her, holding the piece of clothing out for her to see. She strained her eyes until realization dawned on her.

"Sakura-chan, why is teme's shirt in your room?"

**That's it! So, so, Saya finally decided to take matters into her own hands, ne?**

**Originally, I was planning for the explanation to take up half of the chapter, but it turned out much longer… Anyway… I hope you liked it! ^.^ If you have any questions I'd be more than happy to answer them ^.^**

**Until next time!**


	17. Sweet sleep

**Hey! How are you all doing?**

**Before reading this chapter let me just say that I've never been in a hospital, so I want to apologize for things seeming unreal. Oh, and the medical information in this chapter are a mix of my own knowledge, my imagination and an ancient first-aid guide, please don't take it seriously!**

**Thank you to:**

**Aen Silver Fire**

**hirokiri9 **

**Sakura 8D**

**LostForever06**

**Midnight Angel Sakura**

**Chapter 17: Sweet sleep**

Sasuke was laying on his futon with his hands crossed behind his head for support. His breathing was even, deep, his heartbeat steady. Once again he shut his eyes and darkness surrounded him.

Moments later he shot up with a frown and a vein pulsing in his forehead. He had been meditating for hours! Yet, despite his self control, his body refused to let him enter the dream world.

He huffed as he plopped back on the mattress and cursed under his breath at the reason of this situation, who, by the way, was obliviously sleeping in the next room.

"Shit." He muttered as images of a while before, entered his mind and furiously spun at the background of his vision. They flashed with rough emotion and then disappeared, like photographs given life through an old projector.

Snapshots, moments of an unknown self, a puppet controlled with strings of polarized instinct. He ran his hands through his raven locks while tugging at the roots. Then, as if in a trance he brought the same hand in front of his questioning eyes and examined the pale, slender fingers and the paths engraved on the cold flesh and wondered whether they were the reason this hand fit perfectly around a thin, warm waist.

He shook his head violently, forcing the pictures to dissolve. However the feelings stayed, tormenting him, making his blood flow in irregular patterns. Small needles teased his heart, giving of a feeling somewhere in between pain and pleasure.

And he shook his head once again, secretly relieved that no one else was there to witness the almighty Uchiha losing his cool.

He shivered and the crawl that ran across the surface of his skin followed the trails her fingertips had traced. Despite himself, he seriously considered knocking himself out just to escape his own traitorous mind.

Maybe then he could dream of what could have happened, had he not ran away like a dog with its tail between its legs.

What _could _have happened?

He slammed his open palm right in the middle of his forehead with enough force to stop his brain form conducting vivid scenarios as a reply to that particular question. He needed sleep and he needed it now, before he completely lost his mind! Besides, then he would actually have an excuse, you cannot control what you dream of, after all. His body wouldn't allow him of that luxury, though.

Didn't the Kazekage have a jutsu that forcefully induced sleep upon its user? Next time he stopped by Suna he would make sure to learn it, _just in case_, he told himself. Twisting around at the best of his abilities with the tangled sheets all around him, he unceremoniously plopped onto his stomach.

His sense of time told him that he only had a few hours before dawn, so he had to fall asleep soon if he wanted to get any rest at all. He brought his arms underneath his head and wiggled around a little to get comfortable. He shut his eyes and forced his breathing to follow an even, deep rhythm. He emptied his consciousness, pushing away every whisper hiding in the recesses of his mind. His heart followed after minutes of hesitation; slowly it calmed its thumping down to a whispered beat.

The soft hands of sleep caressed his body as he fell slowly into the darkness.

…**.::::::::(!)::::::::….**

He could tell his mood was as bad as it could get even before realizing what was happening.

He released an inward growl as soon as he was met with the sight of the now familiar palace. There was no mistaking where he was, at the middle of yet another dream.

He felt his feet mechanically forcing him forward and anger cursing through his veins like blazing lava trapped in a volcano. From the corner of his eyes he caught sight of the colorful sky, the deep shades of orange and red suggested that the sun was sinking into the horizon.

Abruptly he found himself before a wooden door. He raised his hand, but instead of knocking he chose to burst in.

"You called for me, my lord?" He said with mock respect, but the person in the receiving end didn't seem to mind much. Instead he replied in a matching tone.

"Married life sure had an impact on your attitude, younger brother." He felt the irony die at his tongue and the feelings that had subsided upon his entrance return full-force.

"It can't be that bad?" The glare he threw the other male was enough of an answer.

"What do you want?" He said, getting straight to the point. His older brother sighed before reverting back to his serious persona.

"When was the last time you saw Saya?" He felt his eyes widen considerably, apparently his brother initiating such a conversation was quite surprising.

"Two months ago, we… decided to end it before I got married." He kept the cold, emotionless mask in place, despite the unpleasant wave of feelings that stirred deep inside of him. The older man seemed surprised for the tiniest amount of time before nodding.

He waited to hear the reasons behind his questioning, but the lack of information was frustrating. Locking two pairs of dark gazes the younger of the siblings concluded that without his voiced inquiry he wasn't going to get a proper answer.

"Why?" He grunted out knowing that he had pleased the new King.

"She hasn't showed up in a week. The head of the healers said she knew nothing of her whereabouts." To say he was unaffected would be a huge lie.

"What do you want me to do?" He asked, concealing his worry under a veil of irritation, secretly wishing his brother would have him check up on the red haired woman.

"I'll have someone pay her a visit tomorrow, unless of course you take it upon yourself?" Sasuke shouldn't be surprised; both in real life and in his dreams the one that knew him better than anyone else has always been his brother. It was to be expected that his façade was transparent to the currently smug looking male.

He didn't say anything, he just turned around and left. He wasn't sure what he was to do.

He could remember Arai's _warning_, if he was to see her again her life would be in danger, that was the reason he told her he was not interested in her anymore. He hadn't seen her since then and his last glimpse of her face was imprinted in his eyes.

Tearful eyes that didn't shed tears, instead they zeroed on his own with an intensity that held his breath captive. A sad smile on red, full lips that reached to the depths of his soul and burned its mark there, only for him to feel.

Sasuke flinched inwardly without knowing why. This was getting to him more than usual, before he could tell the border between these alien feelings and his own, but just now for the briefest of moments that clear red line disappeared from his sight as his soul quaked.

It took him a while to pull himself out of the eerie trance that had fallen over him, but the next thing he was aware of was the dark wood in front of his face. This little black out he had, how long did it last?

Somehow he knew, the decision that Shin made. The knocking sound coming from his fist connecting with the door made his ears pound and his heartbeat quicken.

_Dread? _

Why? Why would he feel dread all of the sudden?

There was no answer, so he took it upon himself to enter. Pulling a small knife out of his pocket he picked the lock from the outside without any particular difficulty. The room was dimly lit, a small candle being the only source of light. It wasn't much different than the last time he'd been there, but that wasn't of any interest to him.

His eyes followed the familiar path to where he expected to find her. There, a small human ball under layers of cloth on her bed. He approached as silent as a feline, he had no desire of startling her, but he needed to pull himself together before facing her.

He kneeled a few inches from her curled body; she was within arm's reach.

It was then he heard it, small, faint, yet unmistakably real, _sobbing_. She was crying. His heart constricted painfully inside his chest as if trying to punish him for hurting her, because there was no doubt, it was him who made her cry.

Unnoticed by her, it would be simple enough to turn around and leave for good, to let her cry out for her broken heart and lick her wounds. Could he do it? Could he turn his back to her pained self?

The arm that was frozen right above her form shook with his indecisiveness, the pale fingers twitched with the need to feel her warm skin against them. He left a silent sigh as he fisted his hand. What was the right thing to do?

With new found determination he set his hand on top of her covered shoulder and felt her go rigid. After a few moments the petrified girl jerked to her feet, throwing away the thick blankets she was engulfed in.

Before he even got a glimpse at her face, he was slammed against the wall courtesy of a strong blast of wind. Rubbing his aching head, he raised his eyes to meet surprised emerald orbs. She gaped, obviously trying to make sense of the scene her eyes painted.

He could do nothing but stare at her, the fresh paths of tears glistened as the faint light fell on them, as if taunting him for being too far away to wipe the liquid pain away. Everything about her made him want to hold her close, to comfort her, _to make her laugh_.

He rose to his feet and moved to tower over her, she didn't move, but another set of salty tears cascaded down her cheeks. At that moment he knew he made the right choice. He brought his arms up and pulled her to his body as close as humanly possible. His head leaned forward so it rested on top of hers, his nose taking in the wonderful scent.

She sobbed even harder and went limp against him. Surprised at the sudden weight, he slowly lowered her in a sitting position, without letting her go, even for a single moment.

"What's wrong?" He whispered. It wasn't like her. The Saya he knew would have made sure to knock some sense into him before letting him any closer than necessary.

She shook her head without sparing him a word.

"_What is it?" He tried again knowing that she could keep no secrets from him._

Sasuke felt shivers run through his body all the way to his heart. His limbs went numb, leaving him with a pounding pain running through his veins.

"_Saya, what is it?" With his hand he softly raised her chin seeking eye contact. Leaning in he kissed her tears away._

He moaned out, but even his voice was something forgotten.

"_Tell me." _

His vision went blank, he couldn't breathe. He was powerless, sinking, drowning, fading.

_I'm… pregnant…._

…**.::::::::(!)::::::::….**

He shot up, whether he screamed or not, he didn't know. Sweat trickled down his body, his breathing was just irregular, hungry gulps of air. A hand disappeared into his midnight tresses, seeking his lost sanity.

"Ano… You're what?" His eyes snapped up to meet the face of a dumbfounded blond and he groaned out his frustration. _Of all the times!_

"What do you want Usuratonkachi?" He grunted out trying to conceal his panting. The blond frowned.

"You forgot about yesterday night didn't you?" It took him a couple of moments to realize what the dope was talking about, but when he did, he swore under his breath. He was supposed to patrol the village at night… He stood up and wiped the sweat off his brow.

"Ano, teme, what's with you?" Although he was dubbed as an idiot more often than not, Naruto had a pretty good guess about what was troubling the sole Uchiha.

"Nothing." As if his brooding friend would give him a clear answer… He would have to beat it out of him once they got time. Right now they had a mission to carry out.

"Then hurry and get dressed, Kakashi-sensei is waiting downstairs." Suddenly black obscured his vision and he raised his hand to remove the fabric that was thrown right on his face. He stared at it briefly, his shirt, he raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Found it at Sakura-chan's room, any idea how it got there?" Yes he had a pretty good idea how it got there, but that was something the nosey shinobi would never find out.

"Get out." He said with a glare and Naruto decided to do just that, not before throwing him a knowing grin though.

…**.::::::::(!)::::::::….**

To say she was tired would be an understatement. She felt like she had no sleep at all last night and to top it off, she had spent half of her day buried to the top of her head in paperwork. The other half of her day had been spent lecturing a horde of medics and volunteers.

Though, on second thought she preferred working her head off than going back to the inn. That would mean facing her raven haired teammate and she wasn't so sure she could do that right now.

That's why she had left long before he was awake and avoided getting out of the hospital unless necessary. In truth she was afraid. Afraid of his reaction, of his eyes meeting hers, she could already paint a picture of the rejection in her mind.

And after enduring the pain that was sure to come, she had to gather whatever shards were left of her heart and tell him everything she knew about his dreams.

His dreams of his past life… Even in her head those words left a weird afterimage, would he believe her? It's not like she had much of a choice, anyway. She sighed, she also had to burn that damn book, in her frenzy to get as far away from him as possible, she had completely forgotten about Saya's warning.

Things have obviously been better…

A raised hand attracted her attention and she cursed herself for spacing out in middle of a lecture. This was the last group for today and it was at the point where she was supposed to answer questions. She forced a kind smile and nodded to the young brunette.

"Haruno-sensei, could you tell us something more about treating poisons?"

"Firstly, if someone is unconscious you have to provide artificial breathing. After that you must get rid of any unabsorbed poison, if the poison has moved past the stomach, other methods are needed, those include activated charcoal or Golytely. Next you have to identify the poison and choose the antidote according to the patient's history and the poisons nature. If there is no known antidote, a sample is to be sent to the research division, from then on you treat each symptom as needed. The most severe cases of poisoning occur when the cause is a high toxic substance such as cyanide or substances that injure body tissue."

She spoke slowly, making sure to give them time to take notes. She kept to basic knowledge, knowing that the books she made sure to provide them with were more than enough to cover the topic.

Falling silent she waited for another question, but none was expressed.

"Good, now let's proceed to the practical part."

…**.::::::::(!)::::::::….**

"Mou… finally!" She stretched her arms over her head. She was beat and pretty low on chakra, an oh-so-perfect combination. She was glad she could rest soon, all that was left to do was check the medical reserves, maybe she should keep it to the anesthetics for today. Then she could go home, take a long bathe, hopefully avoid a certain someone and then sleep.

Those were her thoughts as she descended the stairs, down to the basement. The cool air that invaded her senses made her shiver and she brought her hands up to fight of the cold.

She searched around, making a mental note to have someone organize this place as soon as possible.

A faint thud had her jerking her head up, there wasn't supposed to be someone else in there. She moved towards the source of the sound, not really concerned. It was probably some nurse rummaging through the drawers.

"Hello?" She questioned loud enough for anyone to hear, but she received no answer.

A hand snaked around her neck and covered her mouth. She inhaled in surprise and that was her greatest mistake. The peculiar, rather sweet scent invaded her body and made her limps go numb.

'_Chloroform.' _It was already too late for her to fight back. Her vision darkened as she slipped into unconsciousness.

**^.^ So how did you like it?**

**Poor Sakura-chan has probably gotten herself in a mess, ne? **

**Until next time!**


	18. Off with the clothes!

**YEY! Finally update! **

**Phewww… this chapter was hard to write, I had to rewrite some parts a couple of times … I tried my best though, I hope it shows…**

**Oh! I somehow managed to create a blog… I already uploaded a picture of Saya and Sakura… hopefully I'll upload more things in the future… You can check it out if you want, link in profile…**

**Before reading keep in mind:**

**Seishin energy: **spiritual energy used in molding chakra.

**Shintai energy:** physical energy used in molding chakra.

**Ki:** (Chi or Qi in Chinese) life energy or life force.

**Thank you to:**

**hirokiri9 **

**Guest**

**Sakura 8D**

**LostForever06**

**Midnight Angel Sakura**

**Fan of Mayuyu**

**Aen Silver Fire**

**Chapter 18: Off with the clothes!**

A thin, childish ray of monochromatic light flickered about, leaving its own silent giggle unheard by people. It danced happily on the tip of thick dark lashes and then disappeared, leaving behind an afterimage of a memory.

Disturbed by the ray's provoking existence, a pair of pure green eyes fluttered open. A pale blue canvas littered with soft looking strokes of white paint, the midday sky, such a wonderful sight. An untamable breeze entangled in bubblegum pink hair, tossing them, twirling them.

For a brief moment she lay still, unmoving, trying to recall past events. She remembered the bright white walls and the familiar scent of antiseptic and then… What happened then?

She was knocked out, wasn't she? She groaned as the memory finally decided to present itself. _Stupid! _Some ninja she was, being taken out that easily! As a shinobi, she should always keep her guard up and as a medic she should never fall into the enemy's hands. But it was already too late for that, now she had work to do, she would escape from wherever she was and heal some of her wounded pride. She lifted herself up to her elbows to inspect her surroundings.

"What the…?" There was nothing there… or rather there was… just not what she expected. A field adorned with green grass, spreading as far as her eyes could see and a faint, almost unnoticeable breeze.

"Hey there!" She whipped her head around towards the source of the terrifyingly familiar voice. A red headed woman sat cross-legged on the ground, probably meditating.

"H-Hello." She spoke softly, uncertainly. The other woman crooked an emerald eye open in a questioning manner. Then she smiled.

"Sakura-channn! No need to be shy, it's just me after all." She may say that, but for Sakura it was still weird and it'd probably never seize to make her uncomfortable.

"So, I'm back here again, aren't I… Umm, is there a way to go back? I think I was kidnapped…" She said.

"Sorry, no can do… You'll wake up only when your body is supposed to, until then you're stuck here." Frowning, the pinkette nodded and twisted her body so she was sitting across the red-head in a similar fashion as her.

"You said you will teach me to control my 'Ki'." Saya grinned.

"Straight to the point, aren't we? But yeah, today we will begin with your training." _Good_. The real world could wait until she got back, right now she had to remain focused, because this was the only way to help her teammate.

"First of all what is 'Ki'? After a small _research _I discovered that what we call 'Ki' has a deep connection with what you call 'Seishin energy'."

"Seishin energy?" The pinkette asked wide eyed.

"Exactly! As you already know, Seishin energy and Shintai energy are used by shinobi to mold chakra. Seishin energy derives from Ki and it is actually the small 'fragment' of it that is available to the body." She paused, allowing the shinobi a moment to absorb the information.

"Wait! How do you know about chakra?" Sakura exclaimed and Saya smirked, as expected of the bright kunoichi.

"I did my homework, meaning I got to rummage through your memories and knowledge while you were away…"

"You did what?" She didn't know if she was supposed to get angry, considering they were the same person and all, but that didn't prevent Sakura from feeling her privacy being invaded.

"I had to know if you had ever, even unconsciously used your Ki… Add a pinch of human curiosity to that and there you have it. Don't worry, it's not like I can tell anyone…" Sakura sighed, no use pondering over it.

"So have I? Used Ki, that is." Saya shook her head.

"It's not like I expected you to have. Those who have the potential have always been very few and after Rikudou Sennin, Ki was forgotten. There are a few people you know who have what it takes, like Hinata and Naruto, but it's almost impossible to use something you are not aware of having. To be honest I was sure it was _completely _impossible, but I was surprised to find that there is indeed someone who can do it."

"There is someone who manipulates Ki?"

"Sort of… That guy you call Sabaku no Gaara… I was surprised to find that, although probably unaware of it, he utilizes more Ki for his technique than average shinobi."

"Gaara-kun? But I thought he molded his chakra into the sand-"

"Which is easier said than done, isn't it? There is a reason why he is the only one who can use sand manipulation. The _quality_ of the Seishin energy he uses is higher than average, which enables him to overcome certain boundaries."

"I don't really-"

"You know what? it doesn't matter, I just wanted you to have an idea about what we are working on… But we are short on time so you just have to see for yourself." She raised her hand and waved her opened palm. The scenery became enveloped in light, the grass bleached and the sky darkened; she was forced to shut her eyes.

When she dared open them again she found herself before a picturesque sight. An awe-inspiring waterfall filled her ears with the sound of cascading liquid and she unconsciously searched for its beginning, but there was none, maybe it was an illusion, but the water seemed to sprout from the sky itself. A nice bunch of glistening rocks stood defiantly under the blast of clean water, proudly withstanding the crashing pressure.

"Do you like your training area?" Unable to summon her voice, Sakura nodded, the universal sign of confirmation.

"I'm glad." She gave a small sigh before pulling her features into a serious expression. "Now, let's start. First, get your clothes off." With that stiff display of a face, the pinkette found it hard to believe her ears.

"W-w-what?" She stuttered terribly, sure that the only reason she wasn't beet-red by now was that her blood was unable to decide between draining from her face altogether and accumulating in her burning cheeks.

"You heard me, off with the clothes. You are going to sit under the waterfall and in order for it to work I need you to feel every single drop of water. Now…" She said, purposely dragging of the last syllable.

Sakura's muttered complaints were ignored by the red head who had turned around to allow the pinkette some unnecessary –according to herself- privacy.

"O-Okay." Stuttered the pinkette, who had by now, made herself comfortable on top of the rocks. The water whipped across her skin, painfully cold and heavy, her mind already getting dizzy from the pressure.

Saya turned to inspect her counterpart. She was frowning heavily at her with her arms and legs protectively twisted around herself.

"Why are you ashamed? It may not look like it, but we are still inside your head." Sakura didn't say anything. It was just embarrassing, wasn't that self explanatory?

"Even if there is two of you, it's just you isn't it?" Sakura frowned even deeper. If that was an attempt at humor, it didn't help at all.

Saya casually walked on the water to take a sit across her student.

"The first step to controlling your Ki is releasing it. Ki is blocked deep inside the body, what blocks it are negative emotions, to let your Ki flow out of you, you have to overcome those negative emotions. It is not an easy task, so be ready. I'll help as much as I can, but this is something you have to do alone." The pinkette nodded.

"The first of those emotions is shame. Don't be ashamed of who you are, both your mind and your body are things to be proud of." She motioned to her hands. "Let your shame fade…" Sakura gulped once and let her hands fall on top of her legs, she shut her eyes.

What was she ashamed of? Recognize it and wipe it out.

'_I'm Haruno Sakura! What I like is… well, the person I like is… And my hobby is… well… my dream is… KYAAAAAAA.'_

'_If you have time to care for your hair, train more. Trying to be sexy? Zaku! Kill that Sasuke guy in front of this pig.'_

'_I'm just being a nuisance again. I've always been protected.'_

'_WEAK!'_

"Yes, I am ashamed… for all those years I wasted on superficial things… for being weak… for being a burden to my most precious people… I guess I still carry those feelings, because no matter how hard I try, I can never catch up to them, but do I have to be ashamed?"

"No… I gave it my all, I did my best… Even though I can never be as strong as them I'm no longer watching their backs… I'm walking alongside them."

"You did good Sakura. Next is Fear. What are you afraid of?"

'_I'm different from you. I follow a different path than yours. The four of us together… it's true that I have thought of it as one possible path. Despite that, my heart has chosen revenge. I live for that purpose.'_

'_Sakura… arigato.'_

"I'm afraid of everyone leaving… I'm afraid of losing them… But most of all, I'm afraid of being unable to protect them…"

"What are you going to do about that fear?"

"I'll… I'll become stronger… Even if it costs me my life I'll… I want to protect everyone!"

"That went well, Sakura… be prepared, the next ones are tough…" She could no longer distinguish the source of the voice, everything was slowly merging together, molding in an uncertain nothingness.

"Next is Guilt. Think of everything you blame yourself for and then forgive yourself."

"I let them down…"

'_Sasuke-kun! What did you do to Sasuke-kun?'_

'_Sasuke-kun will seek me. He will seek me for power.'_

"And what's even worse I… I…"

'_Naruto… This is the only favor I will ever ask of you… Bring… Bring Sasuke-kun back. I'm sure… the only person who can stop him… the only person who can save him… Naruto… only you…'_

I was unfair… I never thought of the impact of my words before speaking… I tried to escape my own burden by letting someone else carry it; I let him carry it all, without considering his own feelings. I… To my best friend I… Naruto always knew, always understood and even when he was in pain he put his friends above his own wellbeing… I've always been unworthy of his friendship…

Can I forgive myself? He never accused me of anything, never complained, he shouldered it all alone… my pain… this world's pain…

"You have to forgive yourself Sakura, if you don't you'll never be free… For that person as well… you said he never accused you of anything, if it's so, do you think he'd want you to feel like this?"

Eyes closed she took deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself.

"If you can't let it go, you can't move on." Her shut eyes clenched painfully, an image of a bright smile filled her mind. He forgave her, didn't he?

Everyone makes mistakes and that's a rule of life, it's inescapable. She made many mistakes, maybe more than average and maybe she was too selfish to acknowledge them, too weak to face the consequences. But that was only human, right?

She couldn't promise to make no more mistakes, that was her frail human nature. What she could promise though, was to keep going, to face the outcome of her actions and move forward.

"Just a little bit more, Sakura. The last one is Grief. Lay it all in front of you, mourn for your loss, accept it and let it be washed away by the water."

Grief… Pain… What was her share?

The Fourth Shinobi War… when she thought of grief that was the first thing that came to mind.

Screams cried out and she covered her ears, trying to protect them from the unbearable sound.

Dark, scarlet liquid flashed across her vision.

How much? How much was spilled? How many… she couldn't save? How many families… clad in black?

**Why?**

And then there was her father's face; Haruno Kizashi, proud Konohagakure shinobi.

That day… he was rushed to the medics. She couldn't see much, she wasn't allowed, it was policy… she couldn't treat her relatives, but she could clearly remember… his face twisted in pain… the blood covering his unconscious form… and her own screams of agony…

He lost his right arm that day…

He would always laugh and joke about it, but she knew how much it hurt, deep inside…

He had to quit being a shinobi and was forced to live the rest of his life withstanding those glances… those glances filled with pity. Of all he had to go through that last one was the worst… _pity._

It wasn't just her father, she was well aware of that. That war left behind way too many scars…

People unable to live a normal life…

Children deprived of a warm hand's touch…

Wishes killed before having a chance to be fulfilled…

By war's heartless hand, blood, sweat and hopes were sacrificed.

Pain… That was war and such his nature… No one ever won…

And she wept… she sobbed… for those who fell… for those left standing alone… for her **friends**… for her father… for herself…

Her tears spilled in large drops, beautifully tragic. Enticed, they joined the falling water… carried away in the distance, where they eventually returned to the grieving winter sea.

No one ever won over war…

No that was wrong… there is something stronger, something bright and pure that can overcome even death… and that is life itself…

Pain can be numbed by happiness…

Despair can be erased by hope…

Death can be discolored by the birth of new life…

It was all behind them now… They had hope held tightly in their palms. Her father knew, that's why he smiled. Those who died knew, that's why they gave their life willingly… They smiled and chose to become the foundation of a better future… They became protectors… they became a dream… they became **hope**…

"Hope!" She said out loud, her voice hoarse from the bitter tears. "That is the answer… hope… our hope born from despair…" She opened her eyes to face the smiling red head. She raised her hand to wipe away the transparent liquid running down her cheeks.

"I had no idea I…" The other female's smile became even softer.

"People are weird beings, Sakura. We tend to conceal what we truly feel deep inside, we burry it so deep that at some point even we forget about its true face… What we don't realize is that although we don't remember about them, these foul feelings act like a poison… they continue to accumulate throughout the course of our lives and eat on our soul…" Shortly after, the faraway look faded from her face and she reverted back to her cheery persona.

"On a brighter note, you did it! The first and most difficult step has been taken!" Sakura, still not over her experience stared at her with puffy, red eyes.

"What did I do?"

"Look above you." She motioned upwards with her fingers.

Sakura stared in awe. The water that rained on her when she first sat under the waterfall now didn't even make contact. It seemed as if it was _repelled_ from her skin.

"In this training, the waterfall represents the negative feelings and the impact they have on your Ki. After you overcame what held you back, their influence of you lifted. What prevents the water from touching you is the Ki that is now swirling around your body. Can you feel it?"

She could, neither cold nor hot, just warm, relaxing and a tad spicy. She couldn't describe the exact feeling, but it was there, so unique, so her, it was weird.

"When you get to your world you can try manipulating objects, start with those close to you, you just have to envelope them in Ki and then move your Ki at will. Now that you are aware of it, it should be easy." She nodded. Wait… Her world! She was kidnapped!

Seeing her distress Saya grinned.

"Yes, you are free to go now. Hurry and kick their asses, okay?" Sakura grinned as she shot up, feeling strangely refreshed.

"Sure!" She turned around to walk away, before pausing.

"So how does this work? Where am I supposed to head to?"

"Oh, don't worry you'll be pulled out… But Sakura…"

"Hm?"

"Don't you want to get dressed first?" She pointed a finger at the pinkette's general direction. Puzzled Sakura took a look at herself.

Saya burst out laughing as the pink haired girl's scream pierced the air. With a speed that could make sound ashamed, Sakura quickly covered herself to the best of her abilities and glared at the still giggling woman.

"I have to say though, their size apparently isn't something that's passed on along with the soul…"

"S-SHUT UP!"

…**.::::::::::::(!)::::::::::::….**

"Damn it!" A dark figure jumped from one roof to the next with admirable speed. The darkness of the night was in perfect harmony with his dark mood.

"Sakura, where are you?" His baritone voice whispered as he increased his speed even more. His midnight hair occasionally whipped his face, but he ignored it, he just kept going, he had to find her.

His tortured heart told him so…

**End of this chapter! I really hoped you like it ^.^**

**While writing about Grief I ended up writing something completely different than planned. I got a bit carried away ^.^' And here I would like to…**

**Warning: ****spoilers! And author blabbing…**

… **take a moment to say something about Neji's death… Kinda late about that, but he popped in my mind out of nowhere, so these words are dedicated to him: **He smiled and chose to become the foundation of a better future… He became the protector… he became a dream… he became _**hope**__…_

**Ja, until next time!**


	19. AN

I'm so sorry guys, but as you can see this is not a new chapter…

I know I've been gone for toooooo long and you have every right to be angry…. I would like to apologize for that (_ _)

**I have not given up on this story**… This is something I would like to get across.

I have a problem with my laptop… one that I'd hoped would be solved by yesterday T.T But it seems it's going to drag on for another month…. Right now I have no computer to work on, so please bear with me….

Once I get my little monster(laptop) back I promise I'll make it up (dattebayo!)

Again I'm so sooo sorry T0T I didn't want to have to write this…

Wings Of Silver Wishes


End file.
